My Soul To Keep
by Roguie
Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? AU post IBSY.
1. Lay Down To Sleep

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part One: Lay Down to Sleep

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSU.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: This is going to be a long, drawn out piece of work. Occasionally, I'm inspired by a love story that wants my attention no matter what I'm doing, and when that happens, I write epically long tales. Sometimes I'll update day after day, sometimes it'll be a week between parts, but these stories always take me on an adventure that not even I expect. This particular creation has currently stretched to twenty pages. This part is the first four pages of that story.

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

To say that Jo Lupo was having a bad day would be an understatement. In fact, to say that the day was progressing poorly for not only Jo but as well for any poor soul that had the extreme misfortune to cross her path would be closer to the truth. She was belligerent, pissed, a little terrified and a lot heartbroken; when all those emotions collided in the well trained, well toned body that made up Eureka's ex-deputy, people were right to take cover in the nearest alcove until she'd managed to pull it all back under control.

Demonstrating a moment of good judgement, Fargo chose to ignore the streams of complaints rolling in regarding GD's overzealous chief of security. From minor whines to what would normally be considered abusive treatment, they were one by one compiled in the recycling bin. Jo had enough to deal with without the judgement of a bunch of soft shelled PhDs looking to have their hands held.

The grapevine moved quickly in a small town like Eureka, which meant Fargo was already aware of the reasons behind Jo's testy attitude. Zane had cornered her in Café Diem that morning, before she'd had a chance to even sip her vinspresso. He'd said something offhanded, she'd responded in kind, which had ended in Zane yelping in pain when he'd try to grab her arm and she'd twisted his wrist in ways human bones were never meant to turn, laying him flat on his back in the middle of the café.

She'd stopped at that point, pulling Zane to his feet, whispering something into his ear that no one else was able to hear. The look on his face had been enough, however, to let everyone know whatever she'd said was nothing near the response he'd been hoping for. She'd stormed out of the café, leaving him to brush off his jeans and flip a nonchalant nod to Vince as the man rushed a fresh coffee to go into his hand. Zane had worn out his welcome in the café that morning, and instead chose to make a quick getaway, looking for refuge in his lab at Global Dynamics. Jo, meanwhile, chose to take the morning's activities as an excuse for carving a warpath through GD's hallways. Not even Fargo was oblivious to the rising tension between them, something that would have to be dealt with before becoming explosive.

Which reminded him, he needed to put money down against the newest odds Vincent had projected for Jo and Zane's expected union. Their little stunt in the café that morning had radically reduced the odds, at the same time causing a rush of new dates being chosen, ranging on that very day to no further than a month in the future.

It seemed all of Eureka sat poised on the edge of their seats, waiting for the final steps in a dance that had lasted better than two years. At the rate their tempers were burning and after Jo's unimaginable screw up with her engagement ring, Fargo couldn't see this carrying on any longer than another week. Someone was going to crack and when they did, the flood would be unstoppable.

**~~~E~~~**

Every nerve in her body was on fire. Thoughts were processing so quickly that she could barely acknowledge them before a new thought assaulted her.

She and Zane had fallen into a routine of verbal sparring in the months past layered over the thinnest veil of friendship she'd ever been forced to lay in place. Since the ring, however, since the kiss, since the moment everything had started imploding, she'd not had the heart or the will to indulge in the tiny scrap of their relationship that she had left.

He wanted answers, answers that she wasn't able to give him for more reasons than just the sanction looming over her head. How could she look him in the eye and explain to him exactly what he had meant to her? How could she honestly describe the relationship they'd shared, through both good times and bad, as he watched her with blue eyes filled with disbelief? Who could blame him anyway? If they could have come clean the first week they'd arrived, maybe, just maybe there'd be something between her and Zane they could salvage, instead, the entire basis of their relationship in the past months had been built on her keeping him out of prison and him sniffing around a mystery he had no business getting so close to.

"_Gonna tell me why you had that ring, Lupo?" His words were enough to stop her in her tracks, to end her escape from the café without confrontation._

"_No idea what you're talking about, Donovan." She'd tried this tactic before; he didn't always back off, but once in a while, if she was lucky._

"_Right. Never happened. Like the kiss that wasn't much of a first kiss?" This time he whispered, lowering his lips to her ear, putting himself in her personal space without any consideration._

_The blood rushed to her face instantly and she turned to leave, outright ignoring his blatant button pushing. When his fingers wrapped around her wrist she just didn't think; she moved and he was on his back at her feet before her mind even registered that she'd reacted. His blue eyes were filled with shock, amusement, and a little bit of pain as he wrapped his good hand around his wrist, checking the bones quietly all while grinning up at her like a mad fool._

_The stream of words that crossed her lips were unflattering, words that would've made her oldest brother blush, even as she reached a hand down to help pull him to his feet._

"_C'mon, JoJo, you can't tell me you don't do that just a little bit on purpose, just to drive me wild."_

_Against her better judgement she pulled him closer to her, her lips resting so close to his ear that he could hear every single tortured breath that escaped her lungs. "Don't do this, Zane. For once in your life, don't ask the questions you want to, don't push the buttons you're finding, just walk away and don't do this." She paused. "Please."_

_Having said what she needed to, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the café. Whether he listened to her or not, she'd had to try. One last shot at getting Zane to back off before he got himself wrapped into this so deeply he'd fall with them all. One last chance for him to live the life this timeline had set for him. She didn't turn back to see him rush out of the café, watching her with a grin as she got into her car and drove straight to work. Still, she wasn't surprised when he'd walked purposely past her office this morning and offered her a wink. She was a little sad, maybe, but she wasn't surprised. Zane never did give up easily._

He was confused. She was confused. Throw a broken heart and lost memories into the mix, and they were building a recipe for disaster. Throw a ring into that recipe and watch it explode; unfortunately, the fallout was likely to include friends that shouldn't have been in range, and Jo was having to live with that possibility every, single day.

When her PDA flashed a request that she check in on unauthorized electrical use in a lab in section six, she began the short journey with great relief. Even spending a half an hour talking another egghead down from the precipice of dangerous scientific discovery would be preferable than spending another minute listening to the rampant rumours regarding her own love life. It seemed that more than one of GD's scientists had been present for her and Zane's spat that morning, and more eyes than usual were following her every move, waiting for a repeat, a kiss, or at the very least a little blood.

Having the entire town invested in her relationship with Zane made her distinctly uncomfortable. She was aware of the interest turned her direction since Carter and Allison had made their relationship public; a day or two had passed with tongues wagging and then all eyes turned to her and Zane. Everyone kept telling her that people were only curious because of the pool at Café Diem, a thought that made her shudder in itself. It seemed the entire town remained blissfully unaware of the fact that the added pressure did nothing to pull them together, in fact, it made the decision making process that much more difficult.

She cursed herself as she walked down the long cool hallway. She was better than this. She knew better than this. So many people in her life would be disappointed in her if they knew how she'd been behaving. Emotion should have no affect on the task at hand, that was how missions failed, how people got killed.

She opened the door to the lab she'd been called to and immediately had to duck as lines of electricity arced across the room. Another moment of distraction, proof positive that this thing between her and Zane was nothing but dangerous. She sighed, pausing for a moment to study the situation. She watched as the charge built in a machine set upon the lab's only desk, only to be released seconds later, arching up and over her, ending in a containment unit twenty feet away.

An instant frown marred her features and she glanced down at the tablet she held in her hand. Doctor Temple was conducting research in lucid electricity; a source of power conducted not by wires but by a form of A.I. knowledge built into the generation of the charge, giving it the intrinsical understanding of where it was to end. Doctor Temple, however, failed to submit the proper forms to indicate a test of this magnitude, resulting in power outages throughout GD as the building's matrix attempted to make up for the diverted electrical flow.

"Doctor Temple?"

She forced an edge into her voice, her annoyance with the entire day now focussed on a single person aside from Zane.

"Doctor Temple? I need you to shut down this experiment immediately until proper measures have been taken to sustain and contain any unexpected results. Director Fargo has received several complaints regarding," she glanced back down at the tablet, reading over the top list of whinging that had come through. "Uneven dispersal of electric power. You're compromising experiments that have gone through the proper channels of approval." She paused. "Shut it down."

When no response came from the flashing lab, she frowned and sighed before stepping deeper inside.

"Doctor Temple? Did you hear me?"

Still no response met her query and new surge of electricity arched over her head. Jo growled softly. "For the love of God," she muttered, charging through the room towards the desk generating the blue-white arcs. "For a town full of geniuses, you'd think one scientist out of the lot could push the off button before leaving the room."

Of course, there didn't appear to be anything glaringly obvious as an off switch. No big red button. No arrows pointing towards a sign that read, in case of out of control experiment, call this number for assistance. Not even a back in five, gone for coffee.

Another arc sizzled past and Jo felt her hair begin to stand on end. When the tip of her ponytail began to smoke, however, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. She glanced from the door to the computer and sighed. What's the worst that could happen?

She pressed her finger to the off button on the computer, holding it until the entire system powered down. Instantly, the room grew silent, the hum she hadn't realized had filled the air immediately dying. Nodding in satisfaction, Jo turned to exit the lab, pulling out her tablet to log her actions.

What she didn't expect was the budding blue spark to jump from it's controlled environment to the piece of metal and plastic she held in her hands. At first, her brain registered a stinging sensation in her fingers; a slow burn spread out down the back of both her hands and began crawling up her arms. She could almost swear her blood thickened a hundred times over as it forced it's way through her veins, slowly and with dreadful discomfort. When her heart began to increase time, beating twice and then three times it's normal rate, Jo realized what was happening. Her fingers tightened of their own accord around the tablet as it exuded the power of the lucid shock, the electricity finding a home in her body, and she found herself unable to let go.

The second jolt brought her to her knees, her teeth grinding together and locking her jaw as the wave travelled through her body setting every synapse in her brain on fire at the very same second. Her veins and arteries screamed out in horror as they pulsed and threatened to burst with the force moving through them, her brain began to stutter, sending random impulses to random body parts, all reacting in instant torment.

The third jolt rolled her eyes back in her head, her body seizing violently as wave after wave of blinding agony chased away her consciousness, blessed darkness bringing with it calm, a far distance from the constant ache that filled every bone.

Long after her mind quit registering the sensation, her body continued to jerk sporadically. Only when the electricity to the room was cut from Fargo's office did her spasms reduce to trembles, the offending tablet falling harmlessly to the floor beside her, the blue spark moving from the melted plastic to the metal floor, across the smooth, conductive surface to a grate in the wall. Only when Allison's hands compressed her chest did her heart begin to beat again, the thickened, boiled blood inside her flowing once more through her abused, constricted veins. Only when Zane's lips met her own, forcing air past her closed throat and into her starving lungs did her body begin to re-oxygenate, her brain beginning to fire impulses once more, her body arching once before beginning a spiral of trembles starting at her shoulders and ending with her toes.

Only when they pulled her unconscious form from the laboratory did her tightened muscles relax, allowing her to slip deeper away from the torture that would be a long time fading.

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In the next part:**

"_How long till she wakes up?"_

_Allison frowned as she watched Carter pace in front of Jo's bed in the infirmary. "Right now it's not a matter of when, Jack. I hate to say it, but with the amount of electricity that ran through her body we have to consider if she'll wake up."_

"_Well, yeah, for a normal person, right? I mean, this is Jo." His eyes turned dark as he eyed the woman he thought of as a second daughter; the girl lying in seeming peace . His brow furrowed in quiet pain. "Alli. It's Jo."_

**Coming Soon.**


	2. Before I Wake

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Two: Before I Wake

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: This bit is quite honestly only filler, but to put your minds at ease, there are still 18 pages more written of this fiction than you see today, not counting what is continuing to be written. The next part is quite a bit longer, and will be up tonight or tomorrow morning, husband allowing.

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

~~~E~~~

"How long until she wakes up?"

Allison frowned as she watched Carter pace in front of Jo's bed in the infirmary.

"Right now it's not a matter of when, Jack. I hate to say it, but with the amount of electricity that ran through her body we have to consider if she'll wake up."

"Well, yeah, for a normal person, right? I mean, this is Jo." His eyes turned dark as he eyed the girl he thought of as a daughter, the girl lying in seeming peace . His brow furrowed in quiet pain. "Alli. It's Jo."

"I know, Jack, believe me." Allison sighed, glancing back to the woman on the hospital bed. "Look, she's stable for now, and that's a good thing. The dermal regenerators have done their jobs and everything seems to be functioning properly. She's strong, and she knows we're here for her. Give her the time she needs, now."

Carter nodded, flashing her a grateful smile before sitting down at Jo's side and taking her fragile hand into his own.

People came and went; people Jo worked with, people she talked to every day, they all nodded quietly at Carter as they stared at Jo without voice. Nobody stayed long. Nobody left a card or a vase of flowers. Nobody even bothered asking to hold the hand the sheriff cradled so tightly in his own.

It was late when Allison asked him to come home, to which Carter merely shook his head and settled heavily into the chair by Jo's bed. "She'll need someone here when she wakes up. Doesn't look like she's got anyone but me, now."

Allison would have fought him but he was asleep in minutes, snoring softly, enough to pull her lips into a tender smile. He would hurt in the morning from the position his head fell into, but at least he'd sleep. It didn't occur to her to question why Zane passed her in the rotunda that night as she was leaving, so it didn't occur to her that when Carter dropped Jo's hand in his sleep, someone else had been there to pick it up. If anyone had bothered to check, they'd see that Zane didn't sign out at security until well past four the next morning, having spent the night quietly pacing in the infirmary, careful not to wake the Sheriff, wishing desperately he could wake Jo.

She didn't even so much as mumble in her sleep. Zane consoled himself with the knowledge that she would never know how heavy his heart beat in his chest as he watched her breath in slowly. She would never know how his every breath hinged on the next ping of the monitor measuring her heart.

He was confused enough without having her know that his heart missed a beat every time she smiled at him, which in the last six months had been a breath taking number of times. If he were asked, he couldn't explain why he needed to be at the infirmary that night, it wasn't as if Lupo would be seen hovering over his bed if one of his experiments had hospitalized him, yet still… when he saw her laying on the lab floor, not moving, not breathing, instant nausea had welled up inside him. It had been like a kick to the stomach, or a blow to the head. It had been like being blindsided by a fire truck without having ever heard the siren. The entire time he'd worked so desperately with Allison Blake to save Jo's life, there had been this quiet mantra circling his mind.

"Not yet, not yet, not yet." Which would've been fine, since he couldn't have her dying before he got the final better of her. What drove him to her bedside that night, however, was the insistence of his heart to add to his brain's chant. "Don't leave me. Not yet."

Six months ago Zane Donovan thought he had his life figured out. Work on something cool. Sleep with someone hot. Find the most annoying thing he could possibly do to get under Security Chief Lupo's skin. Get tossed in her containment cell, taunt her until she stormed out, which was always well worth his time. She'd lose her head, he'd lose his freedom. Their routine was so practiced that it was always good for a laugh. It was win-win all around.

Until one day he thought he saw tears in her pretty caramel eyes and suddenly he didn't feel very much like a winner.

Now, watching her lay silently in that bed, machines announcing each beat of her heart, it finally hit home exactly how much he had to lose if she never opened those beautiful eyes again.

It was a good thing she was unconscious, he figured. It was a good thing she'd never know. His brow furrowed as he turned his newest thought over in his mind, looking for any loophole, any way out, yet finding nothing. He sighed heavily, leaning forward to whisper in her ear, very careful not to wake Carter snoring softly mere feet away.

"C'mon, Lupo. Wake up and I'll tell you a story, guaranteed to make you laugh. It's about this uptight, super sensitive, over critical cop who somehow managed to wrap this gorgeous, genius, can't live with out him kind of guy around her finger. I figure he'd do just about anything for her, if she'd only ask." He brushed a stray lock of hair from her eyes, his lips brushing lightly over the shell of her ear. "So, c'mon, JoJo. Just ask."

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In the next part:**

"_Zane?" Her voice cracked roughly and she pried open her stiff eyelids._

_Carter's concerned smile met her gaze as Global Dynamic's infirmary swam sickenly into view. "Nope, sorry, hope I'll do."_

_Her eyes flickered with disappointment, and she turned her head, half expecting to find Zane pacing the hallway. Every time he'd done something stupid, she'd waited at his bedside for him to waken, the sudden shine of tears in her bright eyes told Carter that through out everything, she'd held onto the hope that Zane would do the same._

**Coming Soon**


	3. When the Wind Blows

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Three: When The Wind Blows

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Here we are, still going strong. :D Thank you so much for your reviews, and Purple, yes, people in my stories do tend to be heavy sleepers. Not half as much fun otherwise. :P As to your happy ending… eeehmmm… yeah, we'll see what Zane and Jo have to say for themselves, perhaps a strong maybe?

A/N2: Ah ha! There is a point and plot to this fiction… and here is where you find out why this won't be a short little tale. Not much action in this part, honestly, this part and the next are still the build up to the actual Zane and Jo fun. Part Five… that'll be when it's more of a shipper fic. :D Part Four is already being edited, so with luck it'll be up no later than Monday or Tuesday. Of course, I meant to have this one up twelve hours ago and well… yeah, honestly? A Firelands raid took precedence, sorry.

A/N3: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

The first thing she was aware of was the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor that sat next to her head. Before she opened her eyes, she forced herself to concentrate on her body, silently checking each extremity. When only a dull ache met her silent probing, albeit a dull ache that covered every inch, she tested her fingers, surprised to find one hand held down with light pressure. A smile tugged at her lips as she wondered what time it was and whether he'd been here all night.

"Zane?" Her voice cracked roughly and she pried open her stiff eyelids.

Carter's concerned smile met her gaze as Global Dynamic's infirmary swam sickenly into view. "Nope, sorry, hope I'll do."

Her eyes flickered with disappointment, and she turned her head, half expecting to find Zane pacing the hallway. Every time he'd done something stupid, she'd waited at his bedside for him to waken, the sudden shine of tears in her caramel eyes told Carter she'd held onto the hope that he'd do the same.

"Sorry, Jo. He's helping with the cleanup of the living energy thing. I guess they needed one of his contraptions to contain the spark before it overloaded anymore systems."

She chuckled wryly, reaching for the glass of water by her bedside as she struggled to sit up, frowning as her body fought the effort and her head spun with the movement. "Is that what happened to me? System overload?"

He smiled, reaching his arms around her and helping her up, fluffing her pillow behind her, helping her settle in. "Little bit." He winked. "We always knew you were shocking, Jo. You really didn't need to go quite so far to prove our point."

"Funny." Her grin was short but bright, and then her eyes flicked to the door once again, seeing no one, and her face fell. "Is he pissed?"

Jack's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Zane? Nah, you know him. He's in his glory chasing that spark all around the guts of GD. Thing's shocked him like twenty times, but he's still after it. The skin healing thing Alli has is gonna get a major workout when he gets back, and you should see his hair. I think he's taking it personally; he's gone all Captain Ahab on it." He smiled down at her, squeezing her hand, swiftly changing the topic when her eyes filled with sudden concern. "I'm gonna get Allison to check you out." His expression turned stern. "You don't move."

"Yeah, yeah." She flashed him a small grin and reached for her bag on the nightstand. "My phone get fried?"

He looked back. "Nah, it was on your desk. Allison moved it to your bag when she packed some things for you. Your tablet, however, is toast."

Her eyes flickered something unreadable. "My tablet?"

"Yeah. Henry says the spark jumped to it when you shut down it's containment field… and none of this matters right now. Let me get Allison."

Her phone lay in her bag, exactly as promised. She grinned and quickly scrolled down to Zane's name; at least she could let him know she was awake.

"Hey," she typed quickly. "Carter says you've been at it for hours. You caught that thing yet?"

There was a long pause, long enough that she began to wonder if he was going to answer at all. When the response came, however, it wasn't quite what she'd been expecting.

"Even from your hospital bed? Nice."

She frowned, sending back a quick text of ?

Which earned her a response of, "How about you let me finish cleaning up your mess? This is one for the books."

Unsettled she tossed her phone into her bag again, struggling to control the tears that suddenly dampened her eyes.

What the hell had she missed?

**~~~E~~~**

Well. That hadn't gone quite the way he'd expected. He'd been crawling around in Global's air shafts for hours, chasing that damn spark that kept finding place after place to avoid him. Being honest, Zane had to admit he was getting a little pissed. His fingers ached, his toes ached, the tip of his nose ached, and the ends of his hair were singed beyond repair.

He could've just given maintenance the containment unit; he'd designed it a year prior as a method of power surge containment. The motherboard inside the box was especially conductive, designed to lure any excess of electricity into it. The lead shielding surrounding that board was designed to trap and contain the flow of electricity until it could be safely dispersed at a later time. In a building as reliant on computer technology as was Global Dynamics, alternate methods of power surge dispersal were in desperate need. He had just never figured on chasing around a shock that wanted to avoid capture. The last time it had zapped him and avoided the box, Zane began to wonder exactly how advanced the A.I. technology within it had become. It seemed to be expecting and avoiding every move Zane was making, and his temper was currently balanced on a very thin thread.

When Jo's text came through, the first thing that shot through Zane's mind was relief. A silent thank you shot out into the universe, against his will but it was still out there. Of course, the spark took the moment he pulled out his PDA to use it as a conductor, shocking him again before finding escape into the next maze of ventilation shafts. Zane's teeth clicked together, his fingers closing angrily around the tiny PDA as a low string of curses slipped past his lips.

He probably should have thought before answering Jo's text. Unfortunately, it was knee-jerk for him to fire off something nasty, cringing only when she quit responding. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, cursing himself silently.

With dark eyes he refocused on the spark, grit his teeth and set out after it with a renewed determination. He'd catch the damn thing first, and apologize later. How much worse could it get?

**~~~E~~~**

It took Allison a full half hour to finish checking over Jo. Her reflexes were sluggish, but would come around in time, her fine motor control seemed undamaged, eyesight and hearing were normal, and though Jo herself questioned her ability to answer prior to the accident, 26x26 was indeed 676 and she'd answered quickly. She knew her name, her dad's name, the names and birthdays of her brothers, where she'd grown up and various details of life in Eureka.

Carter and Allison, however, shared a look of concern when her eyes continued to shift towards the empty door, unable to give up the belief that Zane would appear at any moment.

"You sure you're okay, Jo?" Carter's eyes darkened as he recognized the hurt and confusion radiating off of her in waves.

"Yeah," she muttered. She looked up at their worried expressions, rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I don't know. Zane's being weird."

"It's Zane," Carter grinned. "Define weird."

She shrugged again. "Cold. Put out. I don't know. It's like we've had a fight and I can't remember it."

Carter's entire body deflated as he started putting two and two together. It was with great trepidation that he asked his next question, hoping against hope he was mistaken. "Jo… what do you remember about the last six months?"

When the first memory to escape her was the infected ice that had spread throughout Global, his fingers moved to the bridge of his nose and he groaned quietly.

"Aw, crap."

At the stricken look on Carter's face, Jo's jaw clenched and her heart beat spiked dangerously high. "Carter?"

"Jack," Allison warned him with a cautious tone.

"What?" Both heads snapped towards her, and monitors started beeping frantically.

"Slow it down," Allison shook her head, watching as Jo's normal complexion paled and her body began shivering uncontrollably. Her fingers gently circled Jo's wrist, watching the heart monitor as she physically counted the throbbing pulse. Concern filled her eyes as she moved to retrieve a small bottle and syringe from a nearby cooler. "Too much, too fast. Her body is still trying to cope with the shock to her system." She injected something into Jo's IV drip, smoothing back the younger woman's hair before stepping away. "Just something to help you stay calm," she promised.

Nodding in satisfaction as Jo's eyes glazed over almost instantly, Allison swung around to place her hand against Carter's chest. "Slow. No details."

"How do I explain this to her, again?"

"Explain what to me?" Jo struggled against the affect of the drug, digging her fingernails into the palms of her hands as she fought to stay aware. She shifted her gaze between her friends, blinking, licking her lips as she grew drowsy. She shook her head, refocused, and gritted her teeth with pure determination as she waited for someone to answer her.

Allison sighed. The last few months had been filled with nothing but pain for Jo. They'd seen her shock, seen her sorrow, seen the complete evisceration she'd lived through when Zane had turned those cold blue eyes upon her and reminded her that he thought no more of her than any prisoner would think of his warden. He'd broken her heart, shattered it into so many pieces that they had just barely managed to put her back together when this happened. Neither one of them looked forward to the idea of putting her through that again.

"Carter?" Jo's voice slurred softly, her dark eyes looking suddenly very lost when no one would answer her questions. "What's going on?"

No one noticed the shadow that slipped past the doorway, hovering close enough to hear the confusion and barely subdued panic in Jo's voice. From his vantage point, he watched as Carter forced a smile, brushed Jo's hair back and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"The whole ice with black lines thing was quite a while back, Jo. Looks like you may have lost some time." He smiled down at her reassuringly before casting a worried glance in Allison's direction.

The monitor beeped as Jo's heart surged again. Allison frowned and increased the sedative drip slightly to compensate for Jo's internal battle against the drug. She glared at Carter, warning him silently to keep quiet, and he understood. Her body was still recovering, her heart beat still erratic, her mind still hazy. Emotional shock was the last thing she needed.

"It's fairly common with severe electrical shock, Jo. Short term memory damage is actually one of the main symptoms seen during recovery." Allison smiled reassuringly. "It's one of the factors that makes it such a popular tool in early psychiatric treatments; damage the memory, erase the cause of the insanity symptom - at least, that was the idea behind it. Studies have proved that a controlled, sustained shock can target specific areas of the brain, specific memories and erase them as though they've never happened." She paused, frowning slightly. "We've got a few studies involving memory structure undergoing testing right now, I'll look into some of the programs and see if there's anything we're working on that could be of help. In the meantime, try to look on the positive side of things. Your memory loss is pretty specific, we'll run some more tests, but if you remember the black striations, then you've lost no more than a year. Any large scale damage would have seen a greater ripple of memory loss, or repeated short term memory loss, which indicates that we can at the very least contain the damage if not attempt to reverse it."

Carter mimicked Allison's reassuring smile, nodding quickly. "See, could've been much worse."

"Yeah, easy for you to say, you remember the last year of your life." Her voice was unsure, her words slow.

He snorted softly, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. Not the greatest thing I can think of, Jo."

"Anything big I should know about?" Jo murmured quietly, her now completely unfocussed eyes resting on the door where she'd could have sworn she'd seen something move.

Carter shifted uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. "Ah. Well. Y'know. Too much to go over just now. This is Eureka, after all."

Uncertainty was the only emotion that Jo Lupo didn't handle well, and even her dulled senses caught the hesitation in Carter's voice. With the sedative coursing through her bloodstream, her defences were lowered and her eyes filled with unshed tears as a series of the worst possible things to forget ran through her mind. The drug calmed her body's reaction to her panic, but it couldn't calm the emotional turmoil that burned in her unsteady gaze as she zeroed in on the number one thing that suddenly didn't feel at all right.

"Carter? Where's Zane?"

No one in the room could miss the break in her voice, the instant, all encompassing vulnerability that filled each word; even without looking, each person could hear the tears that were threatening to fall. Jo Lupo, for a single moment, was tiny and terrified, caught somewhere that she didn't understand without the one person she knew could pull her through it, no matter what.

Carter hesitated. That was the one question he could only answer with platitudes for so long, the one question he had no words to explain. He looked to Allison for help, who could only shrug helplessly. There was no good decision to be made here.

"Yeah, Jo, about that…"

Thankfully, it was also the one question that was taken out of his hands.

"I'm here, JoJo."

Carter and Allison turned in place, twin expressions of surprise and confusion crossing their features, each lifting a single eyebrow in question as Zane quietly handed Carter the specially designed box containing the living blue spark before he settled himself at Jo's side.

"Hey." Jo whispered a little uncertainly, her fingers instinctively reaching out to wrap themselves in Zane's warm hand.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," he offered, just as quietly.

The brilliant smile that crossed Jo's face, the sudden and complete relaxation that finally quieted her heart and neural monitors and the gentle fluttering of her eyelids as she gazed up at him for long moments before succumbing to the sedative she'd been fighting put Allison and Carter at ease. The lift of Zane's eyebrow, however, mere minutes later, when the machines confirmed that Jo was well and truly unconscious once more, drove ice water through their veins.

"Anyone care to tell me what the hell this is about?"

They could lie about her asking for him, after all Allison had heavily sedated her, leaving Jo far from being in her right mind. They could fabricate stories and reasons behind everything they'd said while Zane had been lurking in the shadows, covering for each other had become disturbingly simple in the months of late. What they couldn't sweep away, however, was the instinctive reaction of Jo's body to Zane's very presence. It couldn't have been any plainer if it had been sky written over Eureka in red and gold lettering: no matter what hell may lay ahead of her, everything in her world was set right when he was at her side. The machines didn't lie, and they told Zane a tale in greater detail than either Carter or Allison could explain around.

Carter sighed. Hello rock, have you met hard place?

"I'll call Fargo," Allison murmured, moving slowly towards her office.

"Yeah, better call Henry, too. Could use his help on this one."

It was going to be one of those days.

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In the next part:**

_How do you explain to a super genius you're not even sure you can trust, that the life he's living hadn't always been his and the girl who's hand he held hadn't always been his adversary?_

_Sometimes, the only way to tell a story was to start at the beginning._

"_Someone get a hold of Vincent," Carter muttered, "We're gonna need beer. Lots of beer." he looked back at Zane who was, for once, waiting patiently. "In fact, tell him to bring a keg."_

**Coming Soon!**


	4. Breaking the Bough

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Four: Breaking the Bough

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Eep, sorry about yesterday, this bit proved a little harder to edit than I'd originally anticipated. Needed to work through a bit of disconnects. For the sake of this tale, we're going to assume Allison has access to a private office with sonic protocols, tho I've kept the mention out of the actual story. I've got a cold and my brain's not detail orientated today, so if I've missed something stupid, I apologize. :/

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

Zane watched from Jo's bedside as Carter, Allison and Fargo moved to Allison's office; even from his vantage point, he was well aware that the discussion was heated. He waited quietly, softly stroking Jo's hand as he watched the trio pace the small space. As much as it killed him to leave them to talk this over, Zane realized he sat on the precipice of discovering exactly what had been going on in Eureka in the last few months and he refused to allow himself to ruin the very thin ledge he stood upon with them all. All he'd wanted for weeks now was to be let in the loop. All he'd wanted since the incident with the ring was to be given answers. All he'd wanted since that one single kiss in the Sheriff's office was Jo Lupo.

He glanced down at her sleeping form, void of makeup, hair out of place, skin pale, breath shallow, and his heart clutched in his chest painfully.

She was the biggest change that had happened; where once there had been extreme hotness hidden beneath a shield of ice, now he realized everything that made up Jo was beginning to bleed through. It had started months ago when she'd listened to him instead of accusing him. It had continued as she started talking to him instead of at him. They were at a point now where conversation could actually be a part of their daily routine, although they did continue to snipe at each other like children, it usually ended in a grin and an offhanded chuckle. Everything was changing around him and it all centered in on those people deciding now if the situation had progressed to a point that Zane needed to be brought in.

"C'mon," he muttered quietly, grinding his teeth together silently as he willed them to choose to bring him in.

**~~~E~~~**

"He's heard enough that if we don't bring him in, any further questions he asks could get us all in trouble."

Henry's voice lifted from the PDA Carter had on speaker phone. "We're creating a circle of danger around ourselves if we continue bringing people in on this. Eventually, someone is going to talk to the wrong person and this will all be over."

Carter shrugged. "Kind of like a zombie attack. You can live for months by yourself but as soon as you join up with another group, bam! Someone's infected and you all die."

"Yeah, Jack, kind of like that."

"But…'

All eyes turned to the sheriff, Allison lifted an eyebrow as they waited quietly.

"Could Jo really be sanctioned for something she doesn't remember? I mean, with no memory of it, she really is just living her life, no cover up, no fault."

"Carter, it's not the memory that they sanction, it's the act."

"Right, but if they were to interview her and whatever, she'll come up clean. It'd just be up to us to keep her out of it. I mean, isn't this a bit of a way out for her? We keep our mouths shut and she gets to live her life."

Fargo nodded softly, and they could almost hear Henry cock his head as he thought over the possibilities. "I guess it could work, if we're really careful, but Jack, you are aware that if we keep her out of the whole issue, but bring Zane in, we're effectively trading Zane's life for Jo's. He's going to have to put on a good show for Jo to believe nothing's changed, will he? We have to take into consideration that he may not be as willing to participate in this once he knows what it is."

"Okay, everyone, it's really great we're thinking about Jo here, but what happens if she remembers? You're talking about convincing this Zane Donovan that he loves her, convincing Jo that everything is normal, if she wakes up in a month from now, or god help us a year from now and realizes what we've done, we could be doing a lot more damage than we think. You're talking about participating in an elaborate deception that could quite possible end up hurting her worse than she's already been." Allison shook her head softly.

"Or we could spare her the disaster that we have looming over our heads. The farther away from the event we get, the less likely we'll be discovered. That's what you all told me when this started. A year, two years down the road, nobody's going to notice if we don't mention it, we'll be in the clear. Until then, we have stress, concern, confusion, all the good stuff that can ruin a perfectly good day. The four of us? We're okay. A little comfortable? A little happy here, even? Jo… well, we all know how utterly miserable Jo's been. If, and of course it's a big if, but if Zane agrees to go along with this, she has a chance for this to be good for her too, and the farther away we get…"

"The less likely she'll be caught onto."

"The less likely she'll remember."

"And you'd really be comfortable bringing this down on Zane? I mean, he's a jerk, yeah, but he doesn't deserve sanction for it."

Carter turned to face Fargo, his eyes dead serious. "We have a chance to protect Jo. To heal Jo. Zane can suck it up, we all have."

"Okay. Then get it over with before he implodes out there." Fargo stormed out of the office, turning back to frown. "And Carter, he's your issue. Keep an eye on him until we're sure we can trust him. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find feds in my bedroom."

Carter grinned. "I'm sure the feds would appreciate that just as little."

**~~~E~~~**

"Okay, so, I'm gonna tell you a story. At the end, you'll understand why things are the way they are, and if anyone finds out that you know, there's a good chance you'll lose whatever semblance of freedom you have now. I'm only going to ask once, Zane. You're sure you want to know?"

Unable to stop himself, Zane nodded immediately, then frowned. "Wait, what do you mean lose my freedom?"

"Jail time. Sanctions. Maybe even death." Carter smiled sarcastically. "Still sure?"

When Zane nodded the second time, it was with a slight hesitation, but his blue eyes remained solid and demanding. "Okay, I appreciate the warning. Let's do this."

How do you explain to a super genius you're not even sure you can trust, that the life he's living hadn't always been his and the girl who's hand he held hadn't always been his adversary?

Sometimes, the only way to tell a story was to start at the beginning.

"Someone get a hold of Vincent," Carter muttered, "We're gonna need beer. Lots of beer." he looked back at Zane who was, for once, waiting patiently. "In fact, tell him to bring a keg."

Zane chuckled, barely registering that his long index finger trailed softly over the back of Jo's hand, comforting her as she slept. "Coffee for me."

Carter lifted an eyebrow, shaking his head. "Trust me on this, when you've heard it all, you're gonna want that beer."

Although it hadn't been his story to tell, Carter started his tale two years in the past, holding up a hand to silence Zane when the young mane tried to argue the details.

"Nothing that you're going to hear will be exactly what you remember. We changed that. Jo, Allison, Henry, Fargo and me. Nothing is quite right, none of it should've been possible but if you absolutely have to know the science of it, talk to Henry. Until then, shut up and listen."

His tale began like any other day in Eureka, except with the arrival of the new particle physicist in town, everything began to change. Most of all for his deputy.

And it had been good.

**~~~E~~~**

To say he was awed by the magnitude of the secret shared with him would have been an understatement of Zane's current being. When he'd asked them why they'd told him everything, Carter shrugged.

"Seemed easier than lying at this point."

It was hard hearing the details of a relationship he couldn't remember from people he cold barely consider friends. It was harder still hearing that this had been the relationship of their lives, that this had been it, there would have been no one else going forward, except they'd never gotten that chance.

He swallowed thickly as he turned away from Carter and Allison, their words swimming uneasily in his mind as he dissected them and studied them from all angles.

Carter cleared his throat uncomfortably, twisting his PDA in his fingers. "Yeah, anyway, Henry's on his way down to fill in the blanks, if that'll help any."

Zane's eyes never left Jo's face as he shook his head softly. "It won't." Finally, he glanced back up at them, his eyes filled with a surprising amount of hurt and confusion. "So. What's my role in all of this?" He gestured gently towards Jo.

"That's completely up to you. Obviously we're not gonna force you into anything you don't want to do."

Zane snorted softly. "As if that's ever worked before."

"Exactly my point."

Allison rested a hand on Jack's shoulder, sighing softly. "Zane, listen. We found out about her memory loss at the same time as you. We don't know what we're doing about it yet. Either we tell her everything that's happened…"

"Which means ripping out her heart, again."

Allison nodded slowly. "It's true. We will be putting undo stress on her heart, but at least she'd know the truth." She paused. "Or we continue to let her believe that nothing has changed, which will leave her free from the sanctions looming over all our heads. Of course, that means you'd have to act the part."

Two sets of eyes narrowed and studied Zane with abject disapproval as his blue eyes began to sparkle dangerously. There was no doubt in anyone's mind what had flashed through Zane's thoughts. He held up his hands, instantly turning his expression to one of devout innocence.

"Zane, there is no guarantee that her memory will remain affected. She could wake up in an hour and know everything, or ten years could pass… Short term damage is highly unpredictable."

"Relax, Doc, I promise to be a good boy." Zane flashed his best impression of puppy dog eyes, and Allison sighed.

"Those eyes, they may work on her, but you don't have a chance with me. If we're going to do this, you need to be on your best behaviour."

"Scout's honour."

Carter snorted. "Not even in the last timeline."

Zane sighed. "Look. I'll play the good guy while you two figure out what you're gonna tell her. I figure I owe her one after the whole Sky Cruiser screw up, and lets face it, there's not a chance in hell she'll let me pay her back otherwise." At the look on Carter's face, Zane lifted a hand to cut him off. "And I promise not to take undo advantage of the situation. I know the rules, look but don't touch."

"Not even sure I like you looking," Carter ground out through clenched teeth.

Zane lifted an eyebrow in challenge. "I've been locked up for a lot of things, Carter, and maybe I deserved it some of the time." A silent pause formed as he grinned mischievously. "Okay, most of the time, but the one thing you can't get me on is what I think about. I promise not to act, but you can sure as hell bet I'm gonna dream."

As Carter groaned, making a mental note to ensure the dream share projects were absolutely discontinued, Allison sighed. "Zane, you have to make sure you understand. You and Jo were… close."

"Yeah, I get it. Thanks."

"Do you _get_ that she's not going to make it easy on you? If, and I do mean if, we let this continue, a week, two weeks down the road, she's going to start wondering why you're not…" Allison cleared her throat delicately.

Zane's eyes lit up again and Carter groaned out loud, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose painfully. "God, Allison, stop."

"He needs to be sure."

"I'm sure."

"Jack, if we do this and she remembers and he's not been on his best…"

"I'm sure."

"Allison, look, I've changed my mind, this was a bad idea. A very bad idea. We can't do this. What if he uses this to get back at her for all the crap they went through before?"

"Hey, I'm still in the room! Offended, but I'm sure!"

"If this backfires, she's gonna kill us. Dead."

"For God's sake, I'm sure!"

"What'd I miss?"

Allison and Jack turned to see Jo's eyes open, her small fingers once again encased in Zane's large hand. Zane leaned down and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, allowing it to spill softly from his fingertips as he smiled.

"Hey, there."

"Hey," she whispered back, instantly softening as she smiled up into his eyes.

"Don't mind them, they're just bitching at each other over whether or not I can take care of you, unassisted." He stressed the last word, making a point of glaring in Jack's direction. His expression instantly softened, however, when he turned back to her. "They're a hard pair to convince that I'm sure we've got this covered."

"Either way, she's staying at S.A.R.A.H. and I'm not budging on that."

"Whatever, but I'm adding myself to her accepted visitor list, tonight."

"With restriction."

Zane scoffed. "I'm not having a house, even a really cool house, tell me what time I can come and go."

Jo laughed at the quiet argument, resting her hand on Zane's arm as he spun to face the sheriff. "How about you two cool it, and I'll stay at my own house."

Both men froze. Her house.

"Aw, crap."

Every eye in the room turned to the sheriff as he cleared his throat and shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

"Yeah, Jo, about your house…"

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In the Next Part:**

_Tears misted Jo's eyes, tears that she quickly brushed away before Zane had a chance to tease her about being a marshmallow._

_He grinned, leaned down, and whispered softly, "Too late, Lupo, I saw that."_

_It could have been the caramel of her eyes, diluted by unshed tears, or the way her body shivered as his breath whispered past her ear. It could have been the surge in her heart monitor, or the way she bit her lower lip before her skin flushed pink. It could have been any number of factors that made up this softer, gentler Jo Lupo that he was slowly getting to know, but something twisted inside him, his heart stalling painfully in his chest when she caught her breath, her gaze letting him know that in that moment he was her entire world._

**Coming Soon!**


	5. Of Caramel and Marshmallows

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Five: Of Caramel and Marshmallows

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: A little filler chapter to get everyone through; a much longer, and forewarning, hotter, chapter will be up tomorrow night. And just a side note to those that have dropped questions by, I really appreciate it; although I'd started writing along the lines a few chapters in, Purple especially, you've spawned half a chapter with your questions. It rocked! :D My muse apparently loves you and your questions. :D

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

Allison made sure Jo spent three full days in the infirmary, mostly resting, before reluctantly relinquishing her into Zane's care. Over those quiet days they filled Jo in piece by piece on the changes that had been made, most particularly changes that couldn't be hidden.

Such as her job at Global Dynamics.

The infirmary filled with laughter as she relived her surprise and excitement, rediscovering her well deserved promotion.

Certain stories were altered slightly such as explaining Henry and Grace's whirlwind romance that had ended with a mostly happy married couple. Carter, himself, found a ludicrous grin crossing his face when Jo put two and two together with regards to him and Allison. Her elbow poked his ribs as she grinned at him mischievously.

"Took you two long enough!"

They realized they couldn't quite explain away the change in Kevin, so the day he'd appeared in the infirmary on a mission to spend the night at a friend's house, he'd stuck his head past Jo's privacy curtain and offered her a very Zane-like, "S'up?", some quick thinking was necessary.

It was Zane who stepped up, gently urging Jo's jaw closed from it's position somewhere on the floor. Her own quiet, "S'up?" in response lost as Kevin loped over to his mom. Both Zane and Jo watched as he cocked his head towards them.

"What's up with that? Thought you said she'd be getting out soon? Not that her brain was completely fried."

"Kevin!" Allison snapped, pulling the boy further out of earshot.

"Ow! Ma! Seriously, look! She's totally chilling with Zane Dono… Mom!"

His voice faded as he was pulled out of the room, Allison doing some rapid explaining while Zane calmly invented a plausible story.

"He doesn't remember any of it; to him, he's always been a normal kid. This project is ground breaking, and for obvious reasons completely top secret. Kevin is patient zero, kind of like a prototype. He'll be quietly studied his entire life while they collect notes for their research." Sensing an open opportunity to spin further changes into the story they were creating for Jo, Zane pressed forward. "Allison had to resign her position as Director to ensure Kevin would be chosen for the treatment." He smiled. "She said it was a small sacrifice for a life of happiness."

Tears misted Jo's eyes, tears that she quickly brushed away before Zane had a chance to tease her about being a marshmallow.

He grinned, leaned down, and whispered softly, "Too late, Lupo, I saw that."

It could have been the caramel of her eyes, diluted by unshed tears, or the way her body shivered as his breath whispered past her ear. It could have been the surge in her heart monitor, or the way she bit her lower lip before her skin flushed pink. It could have been any number of factors that made up this softer, gentler Jo Lupo that he was slowly getting to know, but something twisted inside him, his heart stalling painfully in his chest when she caught her breath, her gaze letting him know that in that moment he was her entire world.

"You okay?" she murmured quietly, lifting a hand to his jaw, delicately tracing a single finger over his unshaved skin.

His reaction to her touch was immediate, like a current flowing out of control through his entire body; he almost whimpered but stopped himself even as his body hardened without shame and his breath froze in his lungs. Maybe it was knowing now what he hadn't when he'd kissed her last, hell, maybe it was the memory of the kiss that had burned into his skull and had invaded his every dream since then, but the mere brush of her fingertips across his flesh electrified him.

Zane bit back a tortured groan and forced a small smile to his lips, covering her fingers with his own against his jaw. "Easy there, shocker. We're in a public place and if you keep looking at me with those pretty bedroom eyes, I won't be held accountable for my actions." He grinned, pressing her fingers to his lips softly before pushing away from the bed.

"Okay, so how about we get you sprung from this prison and settled back into S.A.R.A.H.?"

"Hmm, sounds good to me."

Zane chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Then I'll be right back."

As he wandered off to find Allison and Kevin, he cautiously poked at the clenching in his stomach, silently studying his heart's reaction to the mere presence of Jo Lupo in his life. He found his skin burning where she'd touched him, leaving him aching to feel her fingers sliding across his flesh again. He groaned inwardly, tightening his jaw as he realized he craved even more than just her touch, he'd been gone for less than five minutes and he already missed the feeling of her warm gaze on him, the eyes of the Enforcer transformed into the eyes of someone that he suddenly understood he could enjoy spending time with.

Most of the ladies he associated with fawned on him, talked him up, did whatever they had to do to enjoy a night in his bed. He played his part and let them have their fun; after all, a tryst with Eureka's bad boy always told well the next morning.

It wouldn't be like that with Jo, he could already feel the difference. He wanted to listen to what she had to say, wanted her to listen to him. Fuck, it made no sense, but he'd been by her side for three days and yet he couldn't imagine leaving her alone for longer than it took to find Allison and get back to her. His hand already felt empty without her fingers entwined with his, and he ground his teeth together tightly. Jo Lupo, complete with bedroom eyes and tiny broken voice had done this to him. She could make a complete idiot out of him if she wanted, but as far as he could tell, she had no intention of doing so. As far as he could tell, Josephina Lupo only wanted one thing from him, and damned if he didn't find himself wanting to give that to her and so much more.

He'd have to watch his step in the weeks to come; even though it made him ill to think about, there would come a morning when those sweet caramel eyes would turn distant and cold and she'd remember that the man she loved was effectively dead.

He groaned softly, if he hadn't convinced her he could be the man she longed for by then, it would be all over for them. She would have the closure she'd been lacking, and he would be left with nothing but memories. Damned if he hadn't already given her the power to kill him all over again.

**~~~E~~~**

**In the Next Part:**

_In a world where they'd not gotten off on the wrong foot, where she could look past the felony charges and see the bright blue eyes of a mischievous boy, where he'd not screwed everything up from the get go, in that world it had probably been normal for Josephina Lupo to pull her shirt from her body, stalking from bed to closet in her bra and the pair of jeans Carter had dropped off earlier in the day. _

_Though he couldn't imagine a world that the sight of a half naked Jo wouldn't short circuit his brain, Zane would like to imagine that he'd handled it with a tad more decorum than he possessed right that second._

**Coming Soon!**


	6. Tears in the Night

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Six: Tears in the Night

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Well, somewhere down the line my muse has taken something euphoric and although it may be a few days until I get the next part up due to work and guild commitments, I now have 47 pages in my notebook to type up for this. Yes, I said 47 pages, which is utterly ridiculous if you ask me. In the parts to come there will be explanations, surprises, tears, and maybe just a wee bit of steaminess. Of course that all depends on how inspired I am to type out 47 pages of my god awful handwriting.

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

Liquid fire shot through his body, his entire being froze, his jaw tightened, his fingers dug into the flesh of his palms and every single atom that formed the physical existence that was Zane Donovan stood at attention. Every atom, and very stiff attention.

In a world where they'd not gotten off on the wrong foot, where she could look past the felony charges and see the bright blue eyes of a mischievous boy, where he'd not screwed everything up from the get go, in that world it had probably been normal for Josephina Lupo to pull her shirt from her body, stalking from bed to closet in her bra and the pair of jeans Carter had dropped off earlier in the day as she looked for something more comfortable in which to spend the night.

Though he couldn't imagine a world that the sight of a half naked Jo wouldn't short circuit his brain, he'd like to imagine that he'd handled it with a tad more decorum than he possessed right that second.

He could feel the low growl building in his chest as his eyes drank in the sight of her perfect skin. It took every ounce of will power he possessed to pretend he was lost in the magazine he currently was using to block Jo's view of a rapidly rising problem. He sat perched on her bed, back against her headboard, legs stretched out on the heavy comforter that kept her warm on so many nights. The room wasn't helping any either; the pillows smelled of Jo, the bed sheets smelled of Jo, the goddamn magazine in his hands puffed her favourite perfume up at him as he struggled to do anything else but clear the ten feet between them, take her into his arms and see that neither one of them left that bed again for a ridiculously long period of time.

It didn't help when she lowered those jeans to the floor, making sure he knew damn well she was wearing the lacy panties to match that sinful bra ensemble that had caused his brain to imitate cat food in it's purest form. Every muscle in her body stretched as she bent down to the floor, affording him an unobstructed view of her arse; he very nearly whimpered as she stretched back upwards, leaning further into her closet, searching through her clothing.

It also didn't help when she pulled on the barest scrap of a tank top that he'd ever set his eyes on and turned to him, eyes dancing.

"I had no idea you had such a shoe fetish," she grinned at him, mischievously, eying the blatantly female magazine that lay forgotten across his lap.

Not even his acting skills could pull off pretending to read that, although he filed away her reading preferences for use at a later date. Instead, he fell back on the irrepressible twinkle in his blue eyes to distract her and slowly let his gaze rake down her body, starting with the pale red of her full lips and continuing onwards, ensuring she couldn't possibly misinterpret his intentions.

"Shame Allison put you on the sidelines for more than just work," he offered cheekily.

"Good thing you're a notorious rule breaker," she immediately replied, the grin tugging at her lips even though the dark circles under her eyes screamed for nothing more than uninterrupted rest.

Her eyes alone were enough to cool his overheated body, and rather than continue the teasing conversation, he merely opened his arms, welcoming her warm body with his as she curled up against him, instinctively nuzzling against his shoulder, her head tucked up under his chin.

Zane breathed her in deeply, tightening his hold on her exhausted body as he turned his gaze to her ceiling, distracting his mind and beginning the long, slow count of imperfections in the design. It was going to be a long night spent in Jo's bed, doing absolutely nothing but holding the girl in his arms when he wanted nothing more than to drink from the lips currently pressed against his collarbone.

He'd thought the last two years of being chased by Jo were rough; the constant arrests, the constant abuse, although pleasurable had gotten old. This, however, this closeness, this view, this entire night… it was a whole new measure of torture. He wasn't used to denying himself what he wanted, and God knew how badly in this very moment he wanted Jo. Instead he held her close, warm fingers skimming the soft flesh of her shoulder as she drifted off to sleep and he could only hope desperately for the same.

**~~~E~~~**

It was dark when she opened her eyes to her familiar and yet strange bedroom in SARAH. She sighed heavily as thoughts of the last four days replayed through her consciousness. Thoughts of work she didn't recognize, friends she didn't know, relationships that had taken her by surprise, and Zane laying peacefully at her side, still dressed in jeans and one of those ridiculous t-shirts he'd taken to wearing. Mercifully, the flannel button up shirt he often had over his t-shirt lay on the ground by her bed. She sniffed lightly, uncertain of the change in his style, his physique, but shrugged it off on the fact that they were all getting older and changing, as was obvious by the little things she'd noticed during the short periods she'd been awake.

Something lay heavy in her heart, however, as she breathed in the scent of Zane, her body comforted by his strong arms around her. Each beat of her heart was slow and sluggish, almost painful as it forced her blood through what suddenly felt like extraordinarily thin veins. It was the same dark feeling that had stirred her from her deep sleep, waking her late in the night, smothering her in something she couldn't quite define. Her mind raced, trying desperately to identify the feeling as she quivered gently, the room closing in around her, forcing a quiet whimper past her lips.

Zane shifted under her, his eyes opening slightly to meet her gaze and his lips curled into a genuine grin, while his fingers ghosted over her back.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous, JoJo."

And it brought tears to her eyes.

Not gentle tears, not the sweet tears of someone carried away by the emotion of a loved one, not even the quiet tears of someone that just can't stop them from flowing. A full blown sob of heartbreak escaped her lips with a strangled squeak, and Zane's eyes shot fully open, his arms tightening around her even as he quickly pulled them into a seated position, curling her onto his lap, rocking her like a child.

"What is it, Jo?" he whispered, quietly. "Do you remember?"

She shook her head helplessly, unable to explain the overwhelming sense of loss and grief that had enveloped her. Nothing felt right, nothing was as it was supposed to be, and a coil of dread so dark and malicious it stole her breath from her lungs began a slow journey through her body. Inexplicable nausea welled up and she struggled to keep from vomiting even as tiny trembles of terror shook her within the safety of Zane's arms, clinging to him desperately, knowing her nails dug into the skin of his back but unable to force herself to let go.

He was shocked, to say the least, as the reams of terror tore through her. His own doubts about the decision to play this out came floating to the surface as his sometimes too quick mind put two and two together. Jo may not consciously remember that they'd been torn apart, but the memory of her grief existed in every cell of her body, screaming at her that this was wrong. Somewhere in the darkness of the night, in the world of her dreams that knowledge had floated to the surface, and though she may not outright recognize it for what it was, the emotions were real and uncensored as she struggled to cope with what she didn't understand.

If nothing else, this intrinsic knowledge spoke volumes of the depth of their relationship; for her body to know, to honestly just know that it was wrong for her to be here with him, it meant her sorrow had been carved into her. Her grief, her anger, her complete evisceration had literally become a part of her, and having that knowledge removed was no longer enough to convince her mind all was right in her world.

He smiled down at her gently, guarding the knowledge in his eyes as he moulded her to his body, protecting her the only way he knew how. This was a good thing, good for her that if even a shadow of her memory remained, that shadow could be nurtured until it became detailed with the events she was missing. It could mean that Dr. Blake was right and this could last only a short time before Jo was herself again.

It was a weird bubble of sadness that caused Zane's breath to hitch in his throat. Jo turned her watery eyes upwards, pinning him with a look that was so consuming with it's knowledge that for a moment he thought she'd remembered and that this was it.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey." Another odd look in her eyes as she struggled with what to say. "Sorry I woke you."

He shrugged. "No big deal. That's what I'm here for." He winked, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Until Allison gives you the all clear, consider me your personal whipping boy."

Neither could stop their lips from curving upwards, and as she lost herself in his presence, in the warmth of his gaze upon her, the pressure released Jo's heart slowly. She couldn't stop herself as she began to giggle, and Zane breathed a quiet sigh of relief as her body relaxed.

"Gotcha, JoJo." He winked at her, his eyes sparkling again as she flushed hot pink, and rolled her eyes.

"We'll see who has who when I get my strength back."

"Promises, promises."

"Go back to sleep, Zane."

"Yes, mistress."

Jo turned away, still giggling quietly into her pillow, and Zane grinned in the dark.

Don't fit, my ass, Zane thought. We make a great team, Lupo and before this is over, you're gonna know it.

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In The Next Part:**

_Jo Lupo wasn't making life easy on him, that was for damned sure. Zane had spent the last week avoiding Carter's barbs at the same time as side stepping Jo's less than subtle advances. He held onto the one final thread of his sanity remaining desperately, not for the first time wondering how he'd gotten himself into this mess._

_Zane was practically living at SARAH, stopping at his apartment only to shower on the way to work in the morning and pick up a fresh change of clothes. The time he wasn't at Global Dynamics was spent with the recovering Jo, driving Zane to insanity as she fought valiantly to circumvent Allison's orders and break the small thread of willpower that he let stand between them._

**Coming Soon!**


	7. Shades of Grey

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Seven: Shades of Grey

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Okay, those 47 pages have been half typed up… of course I added ten new pages in today, so I'm not sure I can really call this progress. :D This part turned out a lot longer than I'd expected, in fact I'd intended to have the upcoming scene at Café Diem in this part, but we were breaking the 6k word mark and I thought that was a little extreme for a chapter. Guess you're all going to have to wait to find out how things go with the ever curious Vincent.

A/N2: Serious question for the readers: When I wasn't paying attention this afternoon, Jo and Zane got a tad bit out of hand on paper - now this part is likely at least two chapters in the future, but what I need to know is if to keep the rating to T-ish, would it be worth pulling out the stronger content to post a separate missing reel with a higher rating?

A/N3: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

Jo Lupo wasn't making life easy on him, that was for damned sure. Zane had spent the last week avoiding Carter's barbs at the same time as side stepping Jo's less than subtle advances. He held onto the one final thread of his sanity remaining desperately, not for the first time wondering how he'd gotten himself into this mess.

Zane was practically living at SARAH, stopping at his apartment only to shower on the way to work in the morning and pick up a fresh change of clothes. The time he wasn't at Global Dynamics was spent with the recovering Jo, driving Zane to insanity as she fought valiantly to circumvent Allison's orders and break the small thread of willpower that he let stand between them.

He'd managed to leave the issue of Zoe up to Carter at the Sheriff's request; a simple text on his part letting the girl know that he appreciated her friendship but that was all there was between them had exploded into a series of questions he wasn't able to answer at the time. Carter had picked it up from there, calling Zoe, smoothing her ruffled feathers; whether he'd told her the truth or some random fabricated tale to explain away Zane's presence at SARAH and his attention paid to Jo, Zane assumed he'd find out when the girl was speaking to him again. For now, he took the silence of his phone as a blessing. He was surprised that he'd found it so easy to trust that Carter had all the bases covered, and yet still, the only thing on his mind when he settled down beside Jo on the sofa, grinning as SARAH dimmed the lights and turned on an old black and white science fiction movie, was Jo herself. Especially when she tucked herself under his arm and snuggled up against his chest comfortably.

Carter cleared his throat loudly as he walked into the room, eying Zane pointedly. "Don't tell me I've got to put the three foot at all times rule back into place?" He kept his tone light, teasing, even as he steadily kept Zane's gaze, driving his point home clearly.

"Not a word, Carter," Jo muttered back, never taking her eyes off the screen, making no move to shift herself from her comfortable position against Zane.

"I'm just saying..."

"That you were on the way to meet Allison and that you'd bring coffee in the morning? Great, thanks, Carter." Jo grinned, casting her eyes pointedly towards the door.

Carter grumbled quietly under his breath, but took Zane at his word as the younger man nodded in his direction, vowing silently to keep to the pact to which he'd agreed. With a sigh he grabbed his jacket off the table and disappeared through the front door.

When the door closed behind Carter, Zane's arms tightened around Jo, and he was damned certain that when she giggled quietly against his chest, whatever controlled the higher functions of his brain shut down completely, and he forgot to breathe.

He couldn't stop his fingers from travelling down Jo's spine, slipping under her shirt to caress the soft skin of her lower back. Even he had to admit that his grin could only be described as wolfish when she shivered against him, but how else was he supposed to react when her own fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt and fanned out against the hard muscles of his stomach?

She shifted in his arms, twisting so that she could easily reach the soft skin of his throat with her lips, teeth nipping gently, making him jump, tongue soothing, pulling a groan from his lips, stripping away all his carefully built up defences in a single second.

Jo found herself surprised by the strength in his body as he pulled her in one smooth movement onto his lap, knees straddling him comfortably even as his hand wound into her hair, forcing her down to meet his lips. She squeaked in surprise in that one millisecond that passed between them before her body exploded into liquid flame. Her lips crushed down on his, hands immediately finding hold in his short hair, holding him to her as her tongue begged desperately for entrance to his mouth. Passage was given freely and she deepened the kiss, groaning into him openly when one large hand cupped her arse, pulling her tight against him. When his remaining hand snaked under her loose fitting shirt and warm fingers encased her breast through the soft lace of her lingerie, her head dropped back, giving him full access to her throat.

Zane didn't waste a second, his lips latched onto her pulse point, suckling at her until the most wanton whimper escaped her throat. He spun them then, pressing Jo into the sofa beneath him, his mind so clouded by arousal that he failed to see Jo struggling to catch her breath, that her pounding heart beat faster than what should have been. It wasn't until he found himself on the floor, three feet away, still twitching from the shock of electricity sent through him that his mind began to clear.

"Ow, SARAH, what the hell?"

"I'm sorry, Zane, but I noticed that Jo's vital signs were being heavily affected. Her heart rate was in excess of one hundred and thirty beats per minute, which is approximately twice the average human pulse."

Zane sat up, shaking his hands quickly as his fingers tingled with the remnants of her power. He reached up to scratch at the back of his neck in discomfort. "So you tazed me? SARAH, I thought we were friends."

"We are friends, Zane, however Sheriff Carter had Doctor Fargo alter my code."

"Come on! You're breaking my heart."

"Our friendship indicates that I should ignore the three foot rule Sheriff Carter had put in place, however I cannot in good conscience ignore the physical signs of distress I noted in Jo's body."

Jo sat up on the sofa, having caught her breath and calmed her body as SARAH and Zane argued quietly. The laughter that bubbled past her lips, however, brought all the attention back onto her. "I'm fine, SARAH, really."

She could almost hear the house nod in acceptance as SARAH carefully monitored her body's reactions. "And you will stay that way, Jo."

"Was that a threat?"

"On the contrary, Jo, that was very much a promise. Now if you each will resume sitting on the sofa, I will continue the movie from where you left off."

Shaking off the last effects of SARAH's low level taze, Zane slouched over to the sofa, sliding into the corner and stretching back, his legs out. He offered Jo a wink before grinning up at the roof of the house. "So, no three foot rule, right, SARAH?"

"Of course not, Zane. I should mention, for the record, that even I believed that addition to my programming was extreme. With Deputy Andy's assistance we have circumvented that protocol."

"You are an extremely cool house, you know that?"

"Of course, Zane. Enjoy the movie."

When SARAH quietened down, Jo moved back into Zane's arms, stretching herself out to lay half on top of him and half between his body and the back of the sofa. She sighed softly as his arms came around her, settling her in.

"So. How long until my house is built?"

And Zane laughed.

**~~~E~~~**

The nights had gotten easier as the days passed. Jo still woke with a profound sense of loss, usually just before dawn, but when it became apparent that every time the panic threatened to take hold, Zane's arms would wrap around her and the grief suddenly wouldn't be so overwhelming.

It was hard to not remember, especially when she noticed little things that hardly made sense. She would mention something to Zane, something simple they'd always enjoyed doing together and for the briefest moment he'd have this blank look in his eyes as if he'd been the one to forget. She learned quickly to stop talking about their past, he'd always try to force a smile as if everything were normal, but his eyes never hid a thing. Somewhere inside him she recognized an anger that she'd never seen before, but more shocking was the sadness that would creep in, stealing him away as he withdrew into himself in those times.

She learned even quicker that the words guaranteed to bring on his misery were the very simple 'I love yous' that had once slipped so easily from both their lips. In fact, if she paused to think about it, he'd not said the words once since she opened her eyes. She'd whisper her love to him softly at night to be answered with a saddened, "I know."

He never let it strain them, however, those were the times when he'd find something utterly amusing about proton versus neutron division, or random particle emersion and he'd talk over any silence or discomfort that threatened to grow between them.

Those were also the times he'd ask her random questions. When did she know for sure that she loved him? What was it that made her fall for him? Why had she agreed to give him a chance in the first place?

She always answered honestly, thinking that maybe he was testing her memory recollection, but when she'd meet his steady gaze, see the sadness that lurked under his facade, she'd realize how earnestly he was listening to her speak as if drinking in her memories to try and replace his own. Something told her that she didn't want to know why, and she allowed her mind to flee from the doorway that locked away the information she knew lived inside.

That night she shivered quietly in her sleep, images of a diamond ring spinning silently in the air between them flooding her vision. The sound of Zane's voice reverberated in the hollowness of her dream, ringing in her ears long after her eyes opened in the darkness of her room, in the safety of her bed.

_"Me marry you? In what universe?"_

When her body stiffened, Zane's arms instinctively drew her closer to his body, unconsciously sheltering her from the torment of her imagined version of himself, but once again, she couldn't help it.

The echo of his cruel laughter smothered her, and silently, she cried.

**~~~E~~~**

It was with a dark emotion weighing her down that she made her way across the rotunda at Global Dynamics. She nodded casually to the scientists that greeted her, chatting quietly with the few employees that stopped to ask how she was feeling. Accidents at Global were a fairly common occurrence, however, and everyone moved on quickly, platitudes out of the way while the security chief made her way down to the infirmary.

Allison had called her in that morning so that she could run a few scans, needing to check and see how Jo's body was recovering. Jo was well aware that Allison owned the first true smile Jo had seen that morning, and very likely the first true concern for her well being. It was something that Jo had noticed almost immediately about her work with Global versus her time as deputy for Eureka. She'd grown close to many members of Eureka's community while deputy, including those who worked for GD. As security chief, it seemed people she'd known for years were more standoffish, choosing instead to ignore her rather than speak to her. It was mildly disconcerting, but if it came with the more prestigious position, it was something Jo figured she could live with. It wasn't like she was a social butterfly, after all, and it seemed that all the people who mattered remained unaffected. Carter. Allison. Henry. Zane. Even Fargo had joined in the display of love and concern for her since the accident. In the end, she figured, they were really all that mattered.

Allison nodded in satisfaction as the test results slowly began coming in. It was with much relief that she let Jo know that her body was normalizing, though she wasn't cleared to return to work just yet, the elder woman agreed to allow Jo to indulge in a small amount of low impact exercise to keep her from slowly going out of her mind with boredom. It was the dark look in Jo's eyes, however, that prompted Allison to inquire about her mental health.

Jo sighed quietly as the women made their way to Allison's more private office. The warmth of the coffee cup Allison placed in Jo's hands gave her courage and she met Allison's concerned gaze with her defences down. The sadness Allison saw lurking deep in Jo's chocolate gaze took her breath away; it wasn't that it was an unfamiliar sadness that awed her, but rather the abject familiarity. It was the same sadness that Jo bore since Founder's Day, and it chilled Allison to the bone.

Allison smiled gently, resting a hand on Jo's shoulder as she settled into the sofa next to her. "How are you doing, Jo, really?"

Jo shrugged quietly. "You tell me, you're the one with all the fancy machines."

"Mmhmm, and not one of them can tell me what's going on in your mind. That part's up to you." Allison paused, chewing her lower lip gently before asking the next question. "How are you and Zane?"

Another non committal shrug. "Fine, I guess." A small smile. "For people ordered away from physical contact. You know Carter had SARAH taze him for touching me?" A small chuckle escaped her lips. "You should've seen the look on his face."

Allison laughed softly. "I'm sure I can't imagine. But seriously, Jo, you aren't cheating right? I need you to stay on the recovery schedule I've laid out for you. No physical relations for at least a month; we'll revaluate at that point, factoring in your new exercise routine and how that affects your recovery."

Jo's expression told Allison that she'd stopped just short of sticking her tongue out at the doctor, and Allison's lips twitched in amusement.

"Zane not making things easy on you?" She lifted an eyebrow patiently.

Jo ran a hand through her hair, groaning softly as she leaned back against the sofa. "No, he's trying to be good. Too hard if you ask me."

Now Allison laughed outright.

"How can he try too hard?"

Jo rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. My best lingerie - nothing. Strip down in front of him and he reads a magazine. Finally get him going on the sofa and SARAH tazes him. It's really not fair."

Allison's eyes were sparkling as she tried to smother her reaction to Jo's predicament. She kept her voice steady even as her eyes danced with amusement. "I'm glad to hear Zane is respecting the rules laid out." She grew more serious as she took a sip of her coffee. "Is that the only issue?"

Jo shrugged, avoiding Allison's eyes now as she drank from her own mug instead of answering.

"Jo, it's for the best that you tell me. I can't help, otherwise."

Jo cleared her throat in discomfort, picking at an imaginary spot on her jeans. "The dreams are pretty bad."

At that, Allison's eyes shot up, forcing Jo to meet her steady gaze. "Tell me what you remember."

Jo shrugged, softly. "Not much most mornings. I mean little glimpses here and there, sometimes I think it's memories." Her fingers trailed to her chest where Allison had recently operated. "Did I get shot?"

Allison sighed. "In a matter of speaking, yes, but it was a little more complicated than just being shot, I'm afraid. What else are you dreaming about?"

Jo swallowed thickly, her fingers once again picking at her jeans. "Zane, mostly."

"Ah." Allison murmured quietly. "Not good dreams, I take it?"

Jo shrugged again. "They don't make much sense, really. Some nights I dream about a ring." At that Jo blushed slightly, casting her gaze to the floor, entirely missing the shocked look that crossed Allison's face before she'd hidden it away behind her mask of calm.

Allison laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, bringing her attention back to herself. "We all dream, Jo. At least this time it wasn't Fargo dressed up like Zorro, hmm?"

The breath she hadn't realized she was holding puffed past her lips quickly, and Jo grinned, rolling her eyes. "Knew that would come back to haunt me one day."

Allison chuckled softly. "Tell me what else."

"I hear him, um, rejecting me." She shrugged. "Sometimes it gets pretty ugly. Um," she looked up uncomfortably, "Did I handcuff him to a bed in the infirmary?"

"Not what you're thinking, but yes." Allison sighed. "Look, Jo, you and I both know that you and Zane have always been... explosive, to say the least. On and off, up and down, so on and so forth, right?" When Jo nodded, Allison smiled softly. "The last little while hasn't been the easiest on either of you; you're probably manifesting all the negative emotions you've been feeling into dreams based in uncertainty and violence. The ring could be your subconscious telling you that nothing had been set in stone for the two of you." Allison shrugged. "A metaphorical coin toss? Heads or tails? Diamonds or coal." she laughed at herself quietly. "Listen, I'm not all that briefed on dream reading, but I can put you in touch with a psychologist on staff here at Global..."

"Yeah, thanks, but no."

At Jo's quick intercept, Allison breathed a sigh of relief. The safest person she could have come up with would have been Henry's Grace, and at this point Allison wasn't sure how well that would have gone over. It would be some conversation - _Hey, Grace, I know you and Henry are just getting back on track, but we've got another issue here. Help a girl out? _Allison sighed; they could never do anything the easy way. "Of course, it's your decision and I'm always available to talk if you don't feel comfortable speaking to someone else."

Jo smiled softly. "Thanks, Allison."

"Any time." Allison looked down at her mug with mild distaste, forcing a bemused expression onto her face. "The coffee here is terrible. Do you feel up to joining me at Cafe Diem?"

Jo breathed a sigh of relief as the heavy conversation seemed to have ended. "There are very few people I wouldn't kill for a vinspresso right now." She grinned.

"Then far be it from me to stand in your way." Allison climbed to her feet and gestured towards the door. "I assume Zane drove you in this morning?"

Jo nodded. "Yeah, I'm supposed to let him know when I'm ready to leave and he'll drive me home." She rolled her eyes. "Apparently someone put it in his head that it isn't a good idea for me to drive myself around town." She looked at Allison pointedly, chuckling at the older woman's rather see through innocent expression. "He's waiting at his lab for me."

"Let him wait. I'll drive you into town, you can call him after lunch."

Jo grinned mischievously. "He's going to think I stopped to work, you know. He threatened to electronically seal my office if he caught me there today. Speaking of… I really should stop in and check on the paperwork that is probably piling up."

"Uh uh, no working. You are on leave… and as to Zane," Allison returned Jo's grin with a wink. "You can blame me, later, for not calling."

Allison was fast and smooth enough that Jo never had time to stop at her office, even though that had been her original plan. It also never occurred to her that she'd been deftly diverted from visiting Zane in his very public lab.

Coffee at Cafe Diem was just too good to pass up.

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In The Next Part:**

_Vincent lowered his voice, leaning in closer, looking around at his other patrons suspiciously. "How are you, really? Good? Not transformed into some weird electrical superhero?"_

_Jo couldn't help the sparkle in her eyes. "Shhh, secret identities are created for a reason, you know."_

_"A geek joke?" He lay a hand to Jo's forehead, over exaggerating checking for a fever. "I thought Carter said there was no permanent damage?"_

_Jo grinned, rolling her eyes. "Zane must be rubbing off on me."_

_Vincent's eyebrows shot up in surprise and his eyes lit brightly, his hands clasping together with a soft sound. "Really? Do tell! I want all the gory details, spare me nothing!"_

**Coming Soon!**


	8. Heat and Ice

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Eight: Heat and Ice

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Yeah, I'm officially procrastinating writing my Primeval Secret Santas, so as such, you guys get a fluff chapter posted today rather than any progress elsewhere in my writing commitment world. Hopefully at least it makes y'all happy, since it seems Primeval's Conby is very disappointed in me right now! LOL Will this chapter break the 20k mark in this fiction? I think it will! Whoot! Each and everyone of you deserves a prize for sticking with me this long (and at least as long to come so don't blow it now!)…

**Reward: Anyone of you who've made it this far is seriously in my yay factor: So, drabbles for everyone! Anyone who would like a specific Jo/Zane drabble, send me your prompt and I will drabble it for you. Unlimited, so send away as many as you'd like, just drop it in the review section or pm it to me and I will oblige. I love drabbles. :D**

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

"I am so glad that you're all right!" Vincent laid a warm hand on Jo's shoulder, stopping himself just short of hugging her as he came around the counter to greet the women. "You two treat yourselves today, anything you want, on the house!"

Jo laughed quietly, rolling her eyes at the big, loveable man. "Vincent, it's always on the house."

He smiled, "Yeah, but I never get to say it." Vincent lowered his voice, leaning in closer, looking around at his other patrons suspiciously. "How are you, really? Good? Not transformed into some weird electrical superhero?"

Jo couldn't help the sparkle in her eyes. "Shhh, secret identities are created for a reason, you know."

"A geek joke?" He lay a hand to Jo's forehead, over exaggerating checking for a fever. "I thought Carter said there was no permanent damage?"

Jo grinned, rolling her eyes. "Zane must be rubbing off on me."

Vincent's eyebrows shot up in surprise and his eyes lit brightly, his hands clasping together with a soft sound. "Really? Do tell! I want all the gory details, spare me nothing!"

While Jo stared at him in confusion, Allison smoothly slid into the conversation. "Shame on you, Vincent. She's barely out of the infirmary and you're begging details on her love life? Really!" Allison caught Vincent's eye and shook her head slightly. "She still has some residual memory loss, so details will have to wait for another time."

Jo shook her head at them both and excused herself to the washroom. She never noticed Allison lean closer to Vincent and certainly never heard the whispers exchanged.

The best way to hide a conspiracy was to create a second more obvious conspiracy. It was with that thought in mind that Allison drew Vincent closer to her, her voice hushed with importance. "It's definitely a go. If they decide to come here, can you keep it discreet for them?"

Vincent's eyes lit up further and he nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! No hovering, no staring," he eyed his full cafe in determination. "And no paparazzi, cross my heart." He paused. "But I can spoil them, right? Something a little special for their first date?"

Allison sighed. "Make it as special as you like, but no references to first dates. You know how well that went when they tried this years ago. We don't want to jinx it."

"Doctor Blake, as a scientist in a community as renowned as Eureka, I wouldn't think you'd believe in something as superstitious as a jinx." Vincent's eyes sparkled in tease.

Allison cocked her head to the side and gave Vincent a pointed look. "Jo Lupo and Zane Donovan are _seriously_ dating. Wouldn't you be apt to believe anything at this point?"

"Noted."

When Jo returned from the washroom to be greeted by Vincent's too bright smile and Allison's innocent gaze directed towards the cup of Vincent's infamous coffee in her hands, Jo's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What did I miss?"

Vincent's hands clasped together excitedly and Allison had to cover her grin. "Vincent, here, was just asking if you had any special dietary needs he should follow in case you and Zane would like to come out for dinner."

He nodded eagerly. "I'll give you my most private table, and I volunteer my personal services to chase away any of the curious. No interruptions, I swear."

"Yeah. Thanks, Vincent."

Jo flashed Allison a confused look; Allison merely shrugged quietly. Still, problem avoided for the time being, Allison realized that it was going to be a twenty four hour a day job keeping Jo out of trouble if today had been any indication.

There was a niggling little feeling in the back of her mind that began telling her they were doing the wrong thing trying to protect Jo. It was a whisper of conscience that had been eating away at Allison since they'd made the decision to stay quiet, and now, watching as Jo interacted with various members of the community, that voice had become louder and stronger.

Of course, it was that moment Jo received a text from Zane, and her entire face lit up with pleasure.

Allison sighed softly, silently ordering the annoying nay saying in her brain to silence.

They were doing the right thing.

They really were.

Weren't they?

**~~~E~~~**

"Good evening, Zane. Did you have a pleasant day at work?"

Zane grinned and shrugged. "Hey, SARAH. Yeah, it was okay. Where's Jo?"

"She is in her bedroom. Shall I let her know you have arrived?"

"Nah, I got this. Thanks, though."

He moved to the bottom of the stairs, but found himself frozen in place as Jo appeared on the landing. He assumed he gaped like a fish while his brain stalled, eyes devouring the appearance of Jo openly while his body remained devoid of any function beyond the unsteady beat of his heart.

Perhaps she'd over done it for Cafe Diem, but every ounce of effort she'd put into getting ready was more than rewarded by the awed look on Zane's face. She assumed that at some point since Larry destroyed her house that she and Zoe had gone shopping to replace her burned away wardrobe. In her closet she'd found many items, obviously new, and questionable to her lifestyle in Eureka, but tonight they'd come in handy. She'd love to know, however, the conversation that had taken place which convinced her to purchase the little red ensemble she found hidden in the back corner of the wardrobe. She wasn't sure an entire bolt of silk had been used in the production of that tiny little number, but the purpose of a dress like that was obvious.

She was glad now that she hadn't needed to go to that kind of extreme to watch Zane's brain begin the slow journey dribbling from his ears.

The pale yellow sundress that she'd chosen complimented the dark shade of her skin, bringing out the highlights in her hair that Zane never knew existed. She'd kept her makeup light, allowing a pale gloss to show the natural colour of her lips, her eyes darkened just enough that the brown had turned to liquid caramel and every single fleck of colour shone through. Her hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders and down her back, once again softening every feature. Black strapped heels drew Zane's eyes to her exquisite legs, and he swore for just a single second his knees buckled from the want of her.

When the ringing in his ears faded and the blood rushed back to his brain with the force of waves crashing over a rocky shoreline, Zane forced his jaw closed and blinked slowly. When he'd finally mastered the English language once more, his lips turned into a grin and his blue eyes danced with undisguised pleasure.

"You need to put this on your thousand and one ways to kill a guy list, cause goddamn, JoJo... that is hot!"

A single eyebrow lifted and Zane's heart lurched painfully in his chest. How had he never realized before that beneath the Enforcer this warm, funny, gorgeous creature existed? As she stalked down the stairs gracefully, slipping past him to retrieve a red shawl from the hall closet, Zane wondered a moment if he literally could implode from the sheer want of her. Judging from the way that every cell that made up his being currently burned, he had no doubt that prolonged exposure to this Jo could very likely bring on spontaneous combustion. What a way to go.

He cleared his throat cautiously. "Believe me, I'm not complaining... you look absolutely gorgeous, but you think it may be a little much for a night of SARAH's cooking and old science fiction movies?"

Her lips curled up into a gentle smile, the tease of a woman who'd gotten her own way radiating in every sparkle in her eyes, and Zane's brain once again descended to the level of, "Guh".

"Who says we're staying in? Vincent has promised us a lovely evening at the cafe, stress free and SARAH free... no offence."

"No offence taken, Jo. Everyone could use an evening to themselves."

"Uh, didn't Allison say you have to stay indoors for a while?"

Jo's grin widened. "Guess I was getting edgy."

He eyed her with a look of mock fear. "Exactly how many bones did you break?"

She rolled her eyes. "Please. Assaulting you is one thing, as if I'd hurt anyone as defenceless as Allison Blake."

Jo swore she could identify the very moment the images so obviously running through Zane's mind became devoid of clothing. If nothing else, he'd always been a fan of her physically taking charge, and she grinned.

"Hey, Doctor Gutter Brain, shower, change, and take me to dinner. Now."

He swallowed thickly, tongue darting out to wet his lips. "SARAH?"

"Doctor Blake and Sheriff Carter have indeed approved this outing, Zane. Although, Sheriff Carter wishes me to remind you..."

"Three feet or spend the night in lockup. Got it."

Zane made it half way up the stairs before turning back to take in the sight of Jo one more time. He would have been fine except for the pure, radiant excitement that was flowing off her beautiful body in waves. She'd not been out of the smart house in weeks; the thought of escape, and better yet, the thought of escape with Zane had her glowing. This was her night, and when Zane caught that single look of perfection, it was as if every single ounce of oxygen had been pulled from his lungs, leaving him starved and wanting.

"Your vital signs are reading erratically, Zane. At what temperature should I set the water for you to bathe?"

The voice of effeminate Fargo brought him back to reality, and he reluctantly relinquished his view of Jo to begin the climb back up the stairs.

"Are you asking me if I need a cold shower, SARAH?"

"There have been many nights during my time spent with Sheriff Carter when he requested an abnormally cool water temperature to help his physical and mental state."

"Oh god, SARAH, stop!" Jo covered her mouth to keep from laughing as Zane turned three shades of red and shook his head. "Too much information."

"I am sorry, Zane, I am only trying to help expedite this evening's date."

Date.

He was going on a date.

Zane Donovan was going on a date with Jo Lupo.

Fuck.

He'd spent every single possible second of the last two weeks with her, they'd touched and kissed, laughed and cried, but the concept of a real date, an honest to goodness dinner, drinking and dancing date, it was a level of intimacy he'd not yet considered. People would see him, with her, eating... drinking... dancing...

Dancing. With Jo. His arms around Jo. Jo pressed up to him, her body moving softly against his, the thrumming beat of music mimicking their hearts as the entire town watched on. His hands would travel low, her fingers would burn his flesh. They'd be in their own private world and she'd lift those gorgeous lips up to his…

Holy fuck.

His brain ceased processing blood and he struggled to remain upright on the narrow staircase. He gripped the railing for support as he pulled himself onto the landing, well out of Jo's view and with luck her hearing range. It was with great defeat that when he reached the bathroom door, pulling his shirt over his head and dropping it unceremoniously to the floor that he spoke softly.

"You're right, SARAH. Cold as it goes."

Two minutes later when his remaining clothes had been stripped from his body and he stepped under the biting spray of the icy water, he yelped his displeasure into the air. It only made it worse when he swore he could hear Jo's laughter, a full story down, even over his own colourful string of cursing.

It was the shortest shower he'd ever experienced, but he figured it had been worth it. He dressed quickly from the bag on Jo's bedroom floor, ran a comb quickly through his dark hair and stepped out into the hallway to descend the staircase he'd struggled to climb short minutes before, immediately catching sight of Jo waiting by the door. She smiled up at him with an expression filled with love and admiration, her gaze burning him with a slow fire that promised so very much more than he could imagine. He realized then, there wasn't enough cold water in the universe to even begin to help his body's instinctive response to the single most important creature in his current existence.

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In the Next Part:**

_Zane eyed the patrons in Café Diem warily, noting several of Global Dynamics scientists staring at them with open shock. He narrowed his eyes, forcing a dangerous ire into his pointed gaze, sniffing in satisfaction as they lowered their heads quickly, choosing to return to their meals rather than cause a scene involving Eureka's most notorious bad boy._

_It took only a moment for Vincent to come around the counter, greeting them warmly. Zane's tension, however, didn't ease until they were led up the steps and into the back of the café, well removed from the prying eyes of the town._

**Coming Soon!**


	9. Here We Go Again

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Nine: Here We Go Again…

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Delays delays delays… I'd say I'm sorry for the length of time between postings, but I wrote an entirely separate one shot for Jo and Zane, finished a Secret Santa for Primeval, got half way through another Secret Santa for Primeval, and penned out the idea for another Jo/Zane one shot. Plus it's Christmas, it's busy, have a heart! :P~ Maybe, if people are nice to me, I'll mention the Christmas Jo/Zane one shot I've got on my hard drive that's nearly finished…. :D Mmm, Christmas Eve with hot chocolate and Zane… /sigh.

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

Zane eyed the patrons in Café Diem warily, noting several of Global Dynamics scientists staring at them with open shock. He narrowed his eyes, forcing a dangerous ire into his pointed gaze, sniffing in satisfaction as they lowered their heads quickly, choosing to return to their meals rather than cause a scene involving Eureka's most notorious bad boy.

It took only a moment for Vincent to come around the counter, greeting them warmly. Zane's tension, however, didn't ease until they were led up the steps and into the back of the café, well removed from the prying eyes of the town.

Vincent settled them at their table, winking at Jo subtly before leaning down to Zane, whispering softly, "Work with me here. Don't piss her off and I'll make sure no one bothers you. Start something, and I can't help you."

Zane grinned cheekily, holding up his hands innocently. "Just here for dinner, I promise."

Vincent nodded. "Okay, kids, so what'll it be? I have a gorgeous roast elk with an amazing blue cheese-port sauce. Or if you're feeling adventurous, an apple-ginger gravy that gives it just the proper kick."

They ordered their food with discretion, watching quietly as Vincent disappeared into the front room. Jo lifted an eyebrow at Zane, the expression on her face bemused.

"Don't piss her off, hmm?" She grinned. "I take it we've had a fight or two in public?"

Zane chuckled. "You could say that. The last time, you flipped me to my back in front of the counter." He feigned a look of hurt embarrassment. "People talked about it for days. Such a scene."

She covered her mouth to try and hide her grin, but the laughter escaped anyway. "How have you not learned to fight back yet?"

He shrugged and tossed her a saucy wink, lowering his voice to a quiet growl. "Maybe I don't want to."

"You can't be serious!"

"Eh, I'm a lover not a fighter."

"Zane…"

"A geek, not a warrior."

"Zane…"

"A felon, not a grunt."

Shit.

"Never convicted," she corrected automatically, and Zane sighed_. Brain meet mouth, now for God's sake, work together!_

"You'd really take away a guy's dreams? At least let me have my felony." Another cheeky grin, another wink. _Don't ask, let it work. C'mon, Lupo, take the bait._

"How about I trade you your "felony" for a whole set of brand new dreams?"

And he grinned like a fool. "I get to pick the colours, and this time, you really do try them all on for size."

She chuckled softly, eyes shining as for once a memory of their past didn't seem to bring him down. "I suppose you've earned that much." When he opened his mouth to speak again, Jo held up her hand, cutting him off gently. "No popcorn."

He blinked in surprise but recovered smoothly, even if he did say so himself. "Eh, get's stuck in my teeth, anyway," he grinned. "Way overrated."

At that point Vincent arrived with their food, relieved to note that his two most volatile patrons were truly at ease and enjoying each other's company. He slipped unnoticed from the room and made his way behind the counter, frowning as he leaned forward to announce, "Looks like Doctor Fargo's about to win tonight's pool. They're looking pretty comfortable, so I highly doubt there'll be any bloodshed tonight."

"Yes!" came from the corner where Vincent could just see the top of Fargo's head, the smaller man almost completely engulfed in the overstuffed chair he sat in. Vincent figured he should feel some remorse over the series of milestone pools set in place for the progression of Jo and Zane's relationship, but on the other hand, they'd cost him a fortune in repairs over the years.

Yeah, they owed him.

More bets came in on various other high points of their relationship, most notably when they'd get caught in some kind of compromising position at work, and Vincent couldn't help the grin as he lifted his eyes to the small set of stairs that led to the new couple.

Okay, maybe they were about even.

**~~~E~~~**

She'd never put much stock into flavoured coffee, but when Zane insisted that she try a vinspresso laced with Irish cream, she decided to be adventurous and damned if it wasn't as excellent as he'd claimed.

It really was odd, this date, sitting and talking like a normal every day couple, where some disaster or another wasn't likely to be looming over their heads. They'd taken their time with dinner, enjoyed each other's company, it was almost as if they were getting to know each other again. She supposed that the circumstances warranted some catching up, but this night out, it felt like something new for them. The way he watched with such interest as she spoke actually warmed her, and she glowed with pleasure. He'd always talked before, and she'd always struggled to stay in a conversation that was well beyond her depths. Somehow, she'd always allowed him to control that side of their relationship; tonight, it was as though he'd relinquished that control to her. He encouraged her to continue speaking when she'd cut off a story, claiming it stupid, and finally snapped when she'd managed to stop herself one too many times.

"Stop," he'd hissed, sharply, when once again she'd stopped in the middle of a story from her days in the military.

She'd blinked at him in surprise, her voice cracking in unease. "What?"

When he reached over to envelop her hands in his, his warm fingers holding hers in place as he held her gaze with steady blue eyes, her heart pounded so heavily in her chest that she wondered for a moment if he could hear the unsteady beat.

"You have absolutely no idea what I'm thinking, so don't just go and assume I'm not interested because it's an army story. The military is part of you, JoJo, so I don't care if you're not regaling the wonders of faster than light neutrinos and the effect that'll have on Einstein's laws of physics. I'm not here to discuss the flaws in measuring particle velocities and the obvious fabrication behind half the tests being performed. They pay me all day to think and talk about that. No one is paying me to sit here and listen to you. This is my choice, my one small freedom, and damn it, if I want to hear about Jo Lupo's amazing, kick ass tales of life in the special forces, then that's what we're going to talk about." When she picked her jaw up off the table and swallowed uncertainly, Zane gave her hands a quick squeeze and leaned back in his chair. "So, you were pushed out of a plane and only just managed to grab a chute as you fell. Now, you're stuck in mid air, having to put the thing on…"

As his voice trailed off, indicating she was to pick up the story where she'd left off, she stared at him in wonder. Her voice was small as she spoke slowly, glancing up just to make sure he was serious. "You wouldn't believe how hard a parachute is to get on your back when you're free falling. The force of the wind, your speed and that feeling of raw terror the guys always put off as adrenaline… Yeah, the combination sucks."

He chuckled, his eyes dancing at her dry humour as he leaned forward into hands, elbows resting on the table, his gaze holding hers steadily. Somehow, he'd left her wondering if it was possible to fall in love all over again with someone she'd never stopped loving in the first place.

Zane, for his part, drank in her every word and wondered silently how he'd ever put the pieces of his heart back together the morning that she woke up and realized he would never be good enough for someone as amazing as her.

**~~~E~~~**

Rather than return to SARAH immediately, Zane and Jo chose to walk through town, enjoying the clear night air as all the stars shone brightly in the sky.

Conversation had died between them, leaving them silent but not uncomfortable, and when Jo shivered without comment, the little red shawl doing nothing to ward off the sudden chill in the night air, Zane's large arm fit easily around her, drawing her to him, sheltering her with his own heat.

Intrinsically, he understood why they'd made the decision to stay quiet about the changes. Two weeks ago, Jo's body was weakened, her heart damaged and stopped by an electrical current strong enough to overload her brain. Two weeks ago, the shock of learning everything she knew had disappeared and leaving in its place a trail of twisted misery could have done even more serious damage to her heart and mind than had been done accidentally. Two weeks ago he'd wanted answers, and in finding those answers had committed himself to a lie so large it couldn't be contained forever. He'd almost blown it tonight; he'd opened his mouth without thinking and had almost given them all away. Two weeks ago, it had never actually occurred to him to lie to Jo; even when she'd been arresting him, their relationship, if nothing else, had been honest.

They had so much more now then they'd had two weeks ago, but what they didn't have anymore is what Zane missed. He didn't want to watch his every word, guard his expression when she wanted to talk about before, and quite honestly? He wanted to let her know exactly how badly he wanted to beat the living shit out of his before self for letting her continually doubt how important her interests and her experiences actually were. He truly didn't understand how she could think he wouldn't care, wouldn't listen, unless he'd really never cared to listen. That in itself would have made him the most self centered, idiosyncratic, stubborn, blind… _scientist_ in the known world.

He sighed. Felon or not, the more he learned of their past relationship, the more he doubted the reality of the idealized stories of the others. He'd seen Jo's subconscious reactions to him, more than once, and he found himself wanting less and less to be the guy she'd once known, even if she did think she'd been in love with him. What he found himself wanting now was for her to forget him entirely, and recognize Zane for who he is now.

Their bodies reacted to each other no matter what time line they were in. Physically, they were meant to be mates, Zane knew this as well as he knew the twenty four fundamental particles that made up matter. It seemed, however, their minds hadn't been on the same playing field in the last timeline, and where Jo keenly felt it, he hadn't seemed to notice or care.

Zane sighed heavily, cursing the inability of his mind to just shut down and enjoy the night out.

All theories and assumptions aside, all felonies and mistakes buried, Zane was starting to believe that he was the better of the two. He'd had the time to grow up, even if he didn't always behave as such. He knew more about life, women, relationships than he had several years ago when life had just been a game. As he thought about it, he started to pity the other Zane; maybe Jo was right, and they hadn't fit. The poor bastard had given her his heart, but not enough of himself for them to have worked; they would've imploded, and Zane understood that now. He was in a place to understand.

He found himself longing for her memory to return, to be able to tell her everything he'd worked out. Given the chance, they could be so much more than the relationship she'd lost. At the very least he'd never take her for granted. His other self had her for two years and in two weeks he'd learned more about Jo Lupo than the other Zane ever had. She should've dropped him ages back, but instead she'd hung on with all she was worth until something inside her had broken and died, leaving her doubting the importance of her very existence; she'd never even seen it happening, but somewhere she'd lost herself in them. Lupo and her lap dog, all superficial physical attraction, kids playing at love. He'd been pathetic. Christ, he was pathetic right now, but at least now he was tripping over himself to prove he was worth her love, rather than receiving it without question.

Jo laughed at him lightly, startling him back into their current situation as he very nearly walked into old Mrs. Ballast from four doors down from him. He ran a hand through his hair and cursed both selves as he realized he'd done exactly what he was accusing his other self of doing; he'd tuned out the present, lost himself in thought and hadn't spoke a word to Jo in very long minutes. Her silence, in itself, spoke volumes; she was used to this.

He shook himself out of his internal funk and glanced up, blinking in surprise as he recognized the houses lining the streets. Somehow, they'd followed a path that led to his neighbourhood, and they were about to cross to the buildings assigned to Global's single resident staff. Before he knew what was happening, Jo had led him home.

To his home.

His home without Carters and Allisons in the next room.

His home without well meaning, yet arguably psycho smart houses watching over his every move.

His home where there was nothing to stand between a very determined Jo Lupo and the single shard of will power he had remaining.

His heart skipped a beat in his chest before pounding painfully; his breath caught in his throat as they came to his door and she snuggled herself closer against him, her head tucked tight up against his shoulder. It went against every promise he'd made to their friends to open that door and step with her over the threshold into the dark room beyond. Her soft fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt, stroking the warm skin she found beneath, her breath whispering across his throat as she whispered something to him he didn't quite catch.

Yep. He was screwed.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Zane needed a plan. Fast.

His breath came in short gasps, his mouth suddenly dry, his normally active brain abandoning him to the wave of pure need that assaulted every cell of his body when she turned in his arms, the warm chocolate of her eyes holding the ice blue of his in a gaze so heated he feared they'd both be set aflame.

And Jo smiled.

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In the Next Part:**

"_When'd you start working out to this," she gestured towards his gym equipment, "Kind of extreme?"_

"_What can I say, JoJo? You're a hard woman to keep up with." He winked. "Can't let you win every time."_

_She dropped the shirts she was holding to the floor and stalked into his bedroom, her trademark, "Just try it, Donovan," grin curling her lips into a wicked smile. Zane supposed he should've been surprised when he found himself flying, landing on his back across his mattress, air whooshing from his lungs, the new sheets he'd just put on the bed wrinkling from the force of his landing._

"_You think a little muscle is going to help you?" Her grin turned more wanton than wicked as she climbed over him, pinning him to the bed with one knee pressed into his chest. "No matter what you do, Zane Donovan, I can take you any time I like."_

**Coming Soon!**


	10. Feel the Chemicals Kicking In

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Ten: Feel the Chemicals Kicking In…

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish". Fair warning, this chapter contains the ISH in full on red caps. Not only for Zane and Jo demanding some, shall we say, physical attention, but also for angry Zane's gratuitous use of the "F" word a bit later on.

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Hee hee, oops, it seems my muse was so busy writing away that I forgot to type up part ten and post it for you guys. My bad! Hope you didn't mind the wait for this naughty little chapter.

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**Hey! Before you read any further, answer me this: my Jo/Zane Christmas fiction is written and ready for posting… since it's getting REALLY close, who wants it early? Or should I just wait until Christmas Eve to post it with my Primeval ones? :P~ Let me know!**

~~~E~~~

They entered his home without words, his hands stalling her wandering fingers, her grin growing wider by the second. He cringed quietly as they walked into the first room, knowing it had been weeks since he'd last bothered to pick up around his place. The clothing he'd been stopping in to change out of lay tossed on his sofa; empty to go coffee cups from Café Diem lay piled in his kitchen sink, and God only knew what lay under the six inch pile of mail and magazines that lay on his coffee table.

Jo, for her part, didn't even blink. She shook her head quietly, the corner of her lips turned up as she began the quick process of clearing his clothes from the small living space. She turned to him after a moment as he watched her quietly, and lifted an eyebrow in question. "Unless you want me to do the same in the bedroom…"

Her laughter filled the small place as he disappeared into the next room before she'd even finished speaking. Twenty minutes passed as they tidied the small apartment, each lost in their own thoughts. Zane laughed outright as she discovered the series of exercise machines he kept in the spare bedroom. Carefully, she plucked two tank tops off the back of one machine's seat and one off its handle before backing out into the hallway.

"When'd you start working out to this," she gestured towards his gym equipment, "Kind of extreme?"

"What can I say, JoJo? You're a hard woman to keep up with." He winked. "Can't let you win every time."

She dropped the shirts she was holding to the floor and stalked into his bedroom, her trademark, "Just try it, Donovan," grin curling her lips into a wicked smile. Zane supposed he should've been surprised when he found himself flying, landing on his back across his mattress, air whooshing from his lungs, the new sheets he'd just put on the bed wrinkling from the force of his landing.

"You think a little muscle is going to help you?" Her grin turned more wanton than wicked as she climbed over him, pinning him to the bed with one knee pressed into his chest. "No matter what you do, Zane Donovan, I can take you any time I like."

Zane lost himself for a moment, his mind finding utter bliss in the moment his eyes met hers. He'd never seen such pleasure, such complete joy living in her gaze. When he drew back, taking in the lovely woman perched over him, the yellow sundress setting her flesh glowing, he willingly drowned in the absolute vision of perfection, beauty and mind blowing awe.

He was lost completely the moment Jo became physically aware of their surroundings. He was irrevocably lost the second his body responded to the call of hers pressed atop him, and the most gorgeous shade of pale red flushed Jo's neck and cheeks while her eyes danced with the will of the devil.

No jury could convict him for what happened next, not even the old Lupo could have argued his reaction. For more than two years they'd danced this dance; for more than two years he'd come out of similar situations with nothing more than bruised ribs, a raging migraine and a distinct need for an ice cold shower. For more than two years they'd ignored their physical demand for one another and now their bodies paid the price.

The change in her body was less noticeable than his own, but those dark eyes of hers glazed over and the barest whimper of raw need escaped her lips before her body turned to liquid heat in his hands and any semblance of sanity he had remaining abandoned him to burn in sensation.

Lips, teeth and tongues met in a frantic battle that neither were sure who started. His hand found purchase in her hair, holding her to him with more force than necessary, but when her own fingers found hold in his light shirt and fabric and buttons tore desperately as she so frantically required her skin against his, their dance could have had only one ending.

The bite of her short nails against the skin of his chest tormented him and his rough fingers trailed over her soft skin to wind into the light straps of her thin sundress. He recognized the will of his body to rip the small scraps of cloth from her shoulders to bare her to him, but somewhere through the fog of arousal he realized that he desperately wanted to see her in that dress again and his touch gentled. He slid the straps down, baring her flesh to his hungry gaze, inch by excruciating inch, and the building pleasure was almost better than tearing the cloth away.

How she'd found lingerie to match that dress he'd never know, but pale yellow lace now obstructed the view he craved so desperately. He growled low in his chest, the rumble of sound sending a fresh flood of desire through her already over heated body. She shifted atop him, pressing herself against his hardness, mewling with pleasure when the sensation shut down his higher reasoning and with a pinch and snap the bra came away in his fingers. His body shifted and, with a tortured groan, his lips unerringly found her breast, suckling her nipple into his warm, wet mouth. Teeth met overly sensitized skin and she cried out, her head falling back as he feasted from her flesh eagerly.

Clothing was in the way, way too much clothing and far too much in the way.

Jo forced Zane's head back, his glazed eyes meeting hers with the most wounded, concerned expression she'd ever witnessed. She lowered her lips to his, soothing him, soothing them before untangling their bodies and climbing off the bed.

She turned to look back at him propped up on one elbow, shirt torn open, bare chest rising and falling as he struggled for breath. It was a heady power she held as she raised her fingers to her lips, silencing his protest as his eyes focussed on her single digit.

Later, she'd admit to a streak of cruelty as she drew that single, long finger down her throat, over her collar bone, between her breasts, down her ribcage to her waistline. There she momentarily paused, fingering the fabric of her dress, pooled around her hips before allowing the thin material to skim down over her long legs, coming to rest in a small pile at her feet.

She took great pleasure in his eyes on her body, slowly stripping away her shoes, her stockings and the one last bit of lace that clung to her hips. When she was well and truly certain that she'd blown his mind, she trailed her gaze up his body, stopping pointedly at his fingers caught in the waistband of his paints, frozen as he'd been about to free himself from the confines of his zipper.

She laughed lightly, cocking her head to the side as she stalked closer to the bed, fully aware of his eyes pinned to her chest as she moved. "Really not one to complain, Zane, because I truly, truly love the look on your face right now, but seriously, it's been, what? Three weeks? You're looking at me like it's been forever."

She could tell the exact moment her words popped his bubble of euphoria and brought reality back into his lust addled brain. The glaze died from his eyes and stiffened fingers withdrew their hold on the zipper of his pants. His breathing came smoother and though she was fairly certain he remained aware of her body, at that point his eyes drifted up to hers, studying her for long moments.

"Damn it, Lupo, you had to go and speak, didn't you?" When her eyes flashed immediate hurt, he glared at her, shaking his head. "No, not like that. Stop thinking you know what's in my head. I promised Allison we'd be good, and with one look you have me panting and ready for you. Thank you for making my word to our friends completely useless." He ran his fingers through his hair and groaned quietly. "This is literally the hardest thing I've ever done, so when all this…" He waved his hand at her wordlessly. "Is over, you better appreciate it, 'cause JoJo, you'll have about five minutes to figure it all out, then you're gonna be back in this bed for hours. Maybe days. Really not sure yet."

He started grumbling under his breath, cursing himself, cursing Jo, cursing Eureka and the whole damned situation as he pulled himself out of the bed and walked towards his bathroom. "You get in that bed and be good. Help yourself to a shirt or something. I need a shower."

She listened, thoroughly confused as he continued to curse himself loud enough that his words travelled down the hallway and through both open doors. She could hear every nuance, his self loathing, his will power, the raw ache that invaded every word as he stepped under what she could only assume was the biting cold spray of unheated water.

She fought the instinct to join him, quite honestly the temperature of the water dissuaded any ideas she'd had to surprise him under the spray, and instead turned her attention to his bedroom.

It was funny how things struck her when she wasn't expecting them. When she was tidying, she'd noticed the items he'd added, but it hadn't occurred to her that certain things were missing as well. Like the robe she'd always left hanging on the back of his door. The hairbrush she'd always left on his dresser. That stupid picture of them taken at the town picnic just after they'd started dating. He always kept it in the crease of his mirror, she figured to taunt her, but he swore it was because he loved the look in her eyes as she held his gaze. Stupid little things that made her head swim as that now so very familiar feeling of dread chilled the blood in her veins and she started shivering uncontrollably.

She hated being pathetic. She hated being weak. Her father and brothers would never let her live it down if they knew how fast the tears sprung to her eyes as the heavy weight pressed down on her chest.

Her voice trembled and broke as she closed her eyes, bringing her knees to her chest and rocking herself slowly. "Zane?" She could hear the raw panic in her tone but for a single moment she didn't care who thought what of her. "Zane!"

He was through the door and had her in his arms in seconds, up on his lap, head tucked under his chin. Icy droplets of water chilled her warm flesh, but they helped, giving her something to focus on beyond the terror of the unknown.

She whimpered.

His arms tightened.

A tear dripped from her cheek and warmed his cooled flesh.

His teeth went through his lip as he silently cursed himself for doing this to her.

Time passed without the added pressure of thickened words, and as Zane rocked her, he finally understood. They had to tell Jo the truth, no matter what his own personal cost may be. There was no alternative. This life they'd fabricated for her was killing her softly, and she need to know the truth before they destroyed her very soul.

**~~~E~~~**

*Thump*

_Stay quiet._

*Thump*

_Don't ruin it._

*Thump*

_A few more weeks._

*Thump*

_Don't screw this up._

*Thump*

_Think you're the only one with regrets?_

*Thump*

_Grow up._

*Thump*

_Not everything is about you._

When he struck the punching bag so hard that it actually flung back at him, almost knocking him off balance, Zane knew it was time to stop. Stop lying. Stop pretending. Stop hurting her. Stop it all.

Fuck the DoD and their protocols.

Fuck Carter and his do gooder guilt.

Fuck Eureka and all it's accidents.

Fuck himself for going along with it in the first place.

Tonight he'd tell her everything and tomorrow he'd pack up and leave. They'd chase him down, his sentence wasn't up and they wouldn't let him get very far out of town before closing in on him, but he figured, what the hell. A few years in prison would be far more preferable than another minute in this insufferable town with a Lupo that didn't look at him like he'd created the world just for her.

**~~~TBC~~~ **

**In the next part:**

_She knew something was incredibly wrong. Zane, who always held her gaze, stared down at his food as though it were the most interesting experiment at Global Dynamics. His teeth were ground tightly together, every time his PDA beeped, he jumped. Worse yet, SARAH had tried to deny him entrance when he'd come over after a long day spent at Global. Jo had to blatantly order SARAH to open the door, arguing with the AI for more than five minutes before the bunker door finally swung inwards and the house went silent._

"_Wow, really, just tell me."_

_Jo spoke into the silence, finally drawing Zane's uneasy gaze to her own. It was then that she noticed the stark terror that sparked in his eyes, held in check by his stoic expression. Her teeth clicked together with an audible snap and her expression changed from one of annoyance to one of uncertainty. _

"_Zane?"_

"_Yep." He nodded, something unreadable twisting his lips into a curve that was far less than a smile. "Zane Donovan. I'd like to say always have been, always will be, but you know us geniuses, someone always pushes the big red button."_

**Coming Soon!**


	11. No Sleep Tonight

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Eleven: No Sleep Tonight

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: For my "friendly neighbourhood nags" (loved that btw) questioning when I'm posting, I figured I'd put all your minds to rest – on paper this fiction is written, the word Fin has been added to the last sentence, so there is no chance anyone will be left without resolution… as a matter of fact, I'm working on a Addendum to the fiction, just because when I finished this, I found myself really lost. So, yeah, I'm just dragging it out now because once the last chapter is posted, it's really going to be over, and I loved writing this story. :/ For those wondering, there are two parts to follow this one. The addendum will be posted separately at a later point. And those of you who were waiting but said nothing can thank the lovely prodders for this part being posted today… lol… I type quickly when there are pitchforks involved. :P~

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

She knew something was incredibly wrong. Zane, who always held her gaze, stared down at his food as though it were the most interesting experiment at Global Dynamics. His teeth were ground tightly together, every time his PDA beeped, he jumped. Worse yet, SARAH had tried to deny him entrance when he'd come over after a long day spent at Global. Jo had to blatantly order SARAH to open the door, arguing with the AI for more than five minutes before the bunker door finally swung inwards and the house went silent.

"Wow, really, just tell me."

Jo spoke into the silence, finally drawing Zane's uneasy gaze to her own. It was then that she noticed the stark terror that sparked in his eyes, held in check by his stoic expression. Her teeth clicked together with an audible snap and her expression changed from one of annoyance to one of uncertainty.

"Zane?"

"Yep." He nodded, something unreadable twisting his lips into a curve that was far less than a smile. "Zane Donovan. I'd like to say always have been, always will be, but you know us geniuses, someone always pushes the big red button."

She swallowed nervously, fingers twisting her fork, resisting the almost overwhelming urge to make him stop talking. The depths of sorrow lining his face, however, stopped her from running. He needed to tell her before it ate away what was left of his soul. "This is going to hurt, isn't it?"

He nodded slowly. "I need you to know that I'm a selfish jackass, and when this dropped in my lap, yes, it was just an opportunity to get the answers I'd been looking for. I also need you to know that it stopped being that almost immediately. It became a way to see what we could've been, or once were, or whatever the best way of saying it is, and yes, I'm sorry for the underhanded shit I pulled, but I'm not sorry for a single other second of the last few weeks."

Jo got to her feet and moved away from the table, curling up into the corner of the sofa, bringing her knees up under her chin. She eyed him warily, the nail of one thumb invariably finding its way between her teeth.

"I'm going to do the same for you that Carter did for me. I'm going to tell you a story that you're going to recognize, but things won't be quite what you remember. You'll listen, and when it's over, you'll understand."

He moved from the table, pacing the kitchen as he gathered his words. Jo saw the exact moment his heart broke in his clear blue eyes and her breath caught in her throat, heart pounding as she struggled to draw in air past the lump choking her painfully. This path they were facing was set in stone now, and there was no way to turn back. They could only move forward.

"It's hard on a single mom to raise a little boy, especially one as smart and hurt as I was. If you haven't noticed, the most important person in my world is me and I've lived by that since I was ten. We had the police, FBI, everyone at my house repeatedly; over and over again my mom begged for a chance for me, but I thought it was fun. One big giant fuck you to the world that let my dad walk away, that made my mom work two jobs to get us by." He looked down at his hands, sighing softly. "I ruin everything if it doesn't go my way. When I was arrested the last time, that was it. Mom couldn't fight for me anymore and to be honest? I really didn't want her to." He shrugged. "So, I sat in federal prison, expecting to rot, and instead this giant company in this tiny town in the middle of Oregon says, hey, come work for us. Not only will we pay you a ridiculous amount of money, but you get a free pass out of this hole. Of course I said, hell, yeah, sign me up, but who knew that meant mucus labs and Parish's NDWs? Where's the fun in that?" This time when his voice lowered, his gentle tone was filled with reverence and held her gaze firmly, making sure she could read the honesty in his eyes. "There was one very good part about coming to Eureka, though." He flashed her a small grin. "See, there's this absolutely gorgeous chick that's in charge of security at the company I work for. She has these beautiful brown eyes that promise forever when she looks at you. Her lips, oh my god, a guy couldn't look at those lips without dreaming of the ways she could devour him." His grin grew wider as a glowing blush spread across her olive skin. "And her skin, you could run your fingers down it every minute of every day and never find a flaw. Get what I'm saying?"

Even through her fierce blush, she grinned, cocking her head to the side. "That your little brain was out thinking your big brain, hmm?"

He echoed her grin, but this time his eyes were tinged with sadness. "Yep, and I blew it, huge. She wouldn't even give me the time of day, much less let me touch her. So, I started behaving…"

"Like a jackass?"

His eyes narrowed into a glare and she giggled, even through the heaviness in her heart. "Like a wounded child. I spent years doing the equivalent of pulling her pigtails. Stupid shit. Not enough to get me sent back, but just enough to keep me in her mind." This time when he shrugged, his voice turned wistful; at the confused look on her face, the frown tugging down her lips, he pressed forward quickly, not giving her a chance to ask questions. "Only her eyes stopped promising forever really quickly, and instead started promising the business end of her taser. Don't get me wrong, the first time was really hot, but it got old. It wasn't her fault, but it got worse from there, and we stopped playing nice, so to speak. I thought she enjoyed our caustic verbal play, she certainly enjoyed locking me up enough, but then one day I said something off handed and there was all this hurt in her eyes instead of the challenge I was used to."

He sat on the coffee table in front of her, leaning forward to hold her gaze as he whispered softly. "All that promise she'd had in her eyes once was back, and I didn't notice until it was too late. I didn't know what was going on, JoJo, but suddenly she was standing up for me, hell, suddenly half the key members of the town were standing between me and a long stretch in prison. Even the head of Global fricking Dynamics, the little dictator himself, looked to me for help. I mean, what the fuck? Two years of chasing my tail on dead end projects that I could do in between my time in lockup and," he snapped his fingers, "Bam! Suddenly I'm somebody that can be trusted to not only hack into the DoD mainframe for you, but to keep my mouth shut afterwards? It was this giant mystery that I just couldn't get my head around."

Her smile had been stolen by his words, her eyes unsure if she believed him, but she leaned forward, taking his hand into hers. "You could always be trusted. I knew that the moment I met you, even if you did bust out of my cell."

"This you knew. The you you were, she couldn't trust me to butter toast, and I can't really blame her."

She chewed her lip softly, her voice nervous, small and breaking. "What happened next, Zane?"

"I pushed and pushed until she broke. She threw my grandmother's ring in my face. My ring. The one thing I have in this world to give that's a connection to my family, and she had it." He sighed. "I couldn't explain it. She wouldn't explain it. Everything was falling apart, so I kissed her. *That* explained it."

Jo stiffened, her eyes going wide as she met his gaze, the cobalt blue warm and encouraging at the same time as broken and determined. "Why didn't that feel like a first kiss?"

He nodded slowly, watching as information began filing through her mind so rapidly he wasn't sure if he'd get to the end of his story before she knew it all.

"Me marry you? In what universe?"

He cringed as she spoke his own words back to him. "I didn't know, Jo. I swear to God I didn't know. I didn't know a damned thing until you woke up looking for me, and you were so hurt and confused that I couldn't help it. I held your hand until you fell asleep, and Carter told me everything."

She nodded slowly, pulling her hands from his, curling back into the corner of the sofa as she sifted through all the new information flooding her senses. "1947?" She questioned, quietly, just looking for affirmation. He nodded, finally dropping his gaze to the floor, knowing what was coming next. "This was just an act? A game? Jo doesn't remember a thing, let's go with it and see what happens?"

He was terrified of looking up. He was terrified that the horrified tone in her voice would be reflected in those beautiful brown eyes, and that this time when she cried, she wouldn't let him hold her.

"It wasn't a game, Jo. We were doing what we thought would help you. Carter and Allison? They'd seen how hurt and sad you've been since you got here. They wanted to give you back what you lost. They wanted you to be happy again."

"And you just went along with it out of the kindness of your heart? Nothing in it for you, right?" She snapped, voice breaking so badly he could see the evisceration in her eyes without ever having to look up.

"They wanted to make you happy, to protect you from DoD sanctions, to give you your life back, Jo, so damn right I went along with it. So did Fargo, and Henry and Grace. They traded your safety for mine and I was cool with that because I got to…"

"See me naked?"

Where did someone so warm learn to use a voice so cold and bitter?

He couldn't help it and nodded slightly. "Naked was a perk, yeah, but what I was going to say is that it gave me a chance to spend time with you without the Enforcer getting in the way. Damn it, Jo, you never let me in, how else was I going to show you that I fucking love you? You, you! You without all the bullshit walls we put up between us. How else was I going to get a chance to save us?"

"There is no us, Zane. We don't exist."

And there it was, she remembered everything. Every moment and detail that she'd spent months wishing she could erase. Every harsh word between them, every agonizing second she'd spent close to him, every nuance of the single kiss they'd shared, and every tear she'd shed the nights after.

"We do exist, Jo, we've proven that we can do this. You just have to let go and trust me."

She sniffed quietly, and for one brief moment he looked up. Fire and brimstone glared back at him, the chocolate gaze he'd come to crave now onyx and filled with the torture and hatred of a soul burning in the pits of hell. "Trust you?" Unable to trust her voice, she simple shook her head. The flare of rage was replaced almost immediately by something far worse; all the trust, love and joy stolen from her, leaving in its place a deflated shell where the once vibrant Jo Lupo used to be. "Go away, Zane. Just leave me alone to get on with it."

"Jo, we only wanted to help. I wanted to help."

"You didn't. You couldn't." She smiled at him sadly, letting the tears fill her eyes as he walked defeated towards the door.

"I had to try to save us," he whispered, so softly she barely heard him.

Her words were spoken clearly, now devoid of any kind of emotion as her well used walls fell back into place. "And now it's over."

Never had four words hurt more than they did at that moment. Both Jo and Zane struggled in silence for a long awkward moment. Both hoped to find the words to make it all better. Both wished they could turn back time once more to make all the nauseating agony vanish into the cosmos. Both knew that it wasn't going to happen.

"See you around, JoJo," he tried, his voice rough with unspoken emotion.

"Try not to," she answered calmly, praying he'd leave so the tears could fall.

"Yeah," he whispered, and finally disappeared into the night.

The door didn't close fast enough, leaving Zane with the sound of her whimper that broke down into heart wrenching sobs the second he was out of sight. For the rest of his life he'd carry that sound, the sound of agony so deep he wasn't sure if there was an end.

It didn't help that the pain she felt was now shared by the man who'd caused it.

He'd punched the wall of the bunker before he knew what he was doing, the pain of potentially broken knuckles bringing him back to himself as he yelped and cradled the hand to his chest.

What the fuck had he been thinking? Jo Lupo was the hottest thing in Eureka, and when all was said and done, she burned like a wildfire.

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In The Next Part: **

_Carter was on his feet in a flash, heading for the door. "Fargo, call GD and find out if Zane signed in today. Henry, go to my office and get Andy to flip on the tracking thingamajig that's supposed to tell us where he is."_

_Jo turned around then, frowning as she watched Carter fly out of the café. "What's going on?"_

_Fargo put his phone away, shaking his head. "We think Zane's pulling a runner. He hasn't been at Global in two days, and hasn't been seen around town."_

_She closed her eyes, calming the panic that fluttered her already drowning heart. Her ears hissed and rang as she struggled to stay focused, concentrating on speaking before anything else._

**Coming Soon!**


	12. Run and Hide

Title: My Soul To Keep

Part Twelve: Run and Hide

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: Have mercy! I've been trying to get this part up since Christmas Eve, but life kept getting in the way. Funny that. So. I had a fabulous Christmas, still flying off the high of getting the only thing I wanted (okay, it was the only thing I asked for, but hey, still got it!). :P~ One more small little part to go after this, folks, and that'll be it – and for those of you wondering, "wtf?" when you get to the end of this, it's all explained in the next part. Really. I made a point of it. :D Which means, oh no! Internal Jo chapter for the finale! LOL For all the playing with Zane in this (if you took that sentence differently than what I'd intended, I will follow up with a quiet, don't I bloody wish!), anyway for all the playing with Zane in this fiction, I thought it was high time to get into Jo's head, even if it's just for the end. So. One last normal chapter, and then we finish up with one of my poke at the characters and see what falls out chapters! :D I intend to have the last bit up on New Year's Eve so that this story will be officially wrapped in 2011. :) So… considering my intentions vs my actions, you should see the last chapter by February. :P~

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

"We deserve this."

"We so deserve this."

Carter, Allison, Henry and Fargo sat around a table at Café Diem, watching as Jo made a point of ignoring them, sitting at the counter, her back to them.

"We're still alive, that's a positive, right?"

"Would you two stop it?" Allison sighed. "We knew this could happen, we've explained our sides and apologized. Give her some time."

Vincent wandered over to their table and followed their gazes back to Jo. "Trouble in paradise?"

"More like nuclear war in paradise."

Fargo imitated a mushroom cloud explosion with his hands, verbalizing the sound softly.

"What happened? Everything was going so well!" True concern shone in Vincent's eyes, a pitying look sent to Jo's back.

Carter shrugged. "They let the past get in the way."

Vincent nodded knowingly. "Speaking of our love sick bad boy, has anyone seen him? He hasn't been in since the night after their date, and considering that man's penchant for coffee, I'd consider that highly unusual, even for Eureka's standards."

Carter was in mid shrug before a random thought crossed his mind. Panic flooded his expression as he caught Allison's startled gaze across the table. "You don't think he'd…?"

"He does have that tendency. Or did, rather. But the tendency is there."

"Yeah, but not for this, and the conditions of his release…"

"If he's hurt enough he may not care…"

"Uh, guys? Want to let me in on this conversation?"

Carter was on his feet in a flash, heading for the door. "Fargo, call GD and find out if Zane signed in today. Henry, go to my office and get Andy to flip on the tracking thingamajig that's supposed to tell us where he is."

Jo turned around then, frowning as she watched Carter fly out of the café. "What's going on?"

Fargo put his phone away, shaking his head. "We think Zane's pulling a runner. He hasn't been at Global in two days, and hasn't been seen around town."

She closed her eyes, calming the panic that fluttered her already drowning heart. Her ears hissed and rang as she struggled to stay focused, concentrating on speaking before anything else. "I'll check his place."

Allison's hand was on her shoulder before Jo noticed, another sign of how very out of it she was. "Are you sure? I can do it, or I can come with you if you like."

Jo smiled sadly, shrugging away from the older woman and heading for the door. "I know you mean well, Allison, and that's what I keep telling myself, but don't you think that maybe you've done enough?"

She took no pleasure in the stunned look on Allison's face, but her emotions calmed the moment the words were free. Allison, for her part, sat back down at the table, glancing at Fargo quietly as Jo disappeared onto Main Street.

"We deserve this?" she murmured, softly.

Fargo sat down beside her, staring into his nearly empty mug. "We so deserve this."

**~~~E~~~**

When he found him, he was going to kill him. Carter grumbled to himself quietly as he sped down the road leading out of town. Henry had radioed him with the readings from the GPS tracker that Zane had been injected with upon his release. The last thing they needed to bring attention to them was an escaped felon, as if they didn't deal with enough on a constant basis.

Yep. First he'd kill him then maybe he'd take him back to Jo to see if she wanted to kill him twice.

His anger faded, however, as he came to the edge of the shield surrounding Eureka. Off to the side of the road, helmet in hand, sitting on his bike and staring down the road was the felon in question. Jack pulled to a stop behind him, getting out of the car and walking towards the man lost in thought.

"You're getting old, Zane. You used to be much better at his whole escaping thing."

Zane chuckled wryly. "There was a time nothing could have stopped me from leaving."

"And now?"

Zane sighed. "I just can't seem to convince myself to take those last few steps."

Jack stood beside him, staring down the road to freedom. "What do you think is stopping you?"

"Aside from the GPS tracker in my blood stream that you've obviously activated?"

"Yeah, um, aside from that."

Zane shrugged. "Just doesn't feel right to leave her alone."

"She's not alone. She has us. We'll get her through."

"You trying to convince me to go, Carter? 'Cause you're doing a bang up job of it."

"I'm not trying to convince you of anything. Stay or go. 'Course, I prefer you stay, less work for me that way, what with the chasing you and all."

Zane nodded slowly, a bemused expression softening his features. "Nice."

"Yeah, I thought so." Carter grinned at him and shrugged. "Listen, Zane, seriously, turn around. I know Jo a lot better than most people, she'll come around." He paused. "I'd watch my back for a few wee… months, but she'll come around. Probably."

"Don't…" Zane brought his hand up to the back of his neck, glancing up at Carter with visible discomfort. "Don't let her get over me, would you? I can play the game, no problem, but y'know…"

Carter nodded in understanding. "You're telling me I know. I have four years of knowing. Believe me, I know. I knew through Stark. Through Stark's death. Through Jenna. 1947. Grant. I knew through a lot so don't think you've got the corner on this market, buddy."

Zane laughed softly, contradicting the seriousness of his words. "Man, I'm not sure I've got four years of waiting in me."

"Then you're a yahoo that doesn't deserve to be happy." Carter shook his head. "It sucks. Sucks! But it is so worth every minute in the end, especially when you know that this is it. Nothing else will ever feel right again."

"Tell me about it."

"She's worth it, Zane. All the difficult ones are." Carter grinned, rolling his eyes slightly. "And you're worth it too. Turn around. Go home."

"And pray it doesn't take four years?"

"Eh, couldn't hurt."

Trusting Zane to make the right decision, Carter got into his jeep, u-turned on the road, and headed back into town. He parked out front of his office and waited silently, fingers thrumming uneasily against the steering wheel.

Not five minutes passed before Zane shot past him, cutting through town, taking the shortest route to his home. Carter released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding and thanked whatever force was out there that he had been right. Intrinsically, Zane was the same Zane they'd left behind, a little older, a little rougher around the edges, but still the same old Zane. Carter had trusted him within hours of meeting him the first time, enough that he'd set the path for Zane and Jo to see eye to eye. In a way, Carter was responsible for more than just the mess they were in right now; he'd thrown the stone that had started the ripples in the pond years ago.

He loved Jo like a daughter and was beginning to respect Zane, again. He'd be standing with the entire town, holding his breath, hoping they could work this out. It was time they all were able to be happy, not four out of five, with Jo standing lost in a corner, cradling her broken heart.

**~~~E~~~**

He tossed his helmet to the floor of his hallway, his jacket on top of it. He kicked his shoes from his feet and removed the flannel shirt he wore over his t-shirt tossing that onto a nearby end table. His bag, he tossed into the living room, landing on the floor by his chair, left to be unpacked later.

"Have a nice ride?"

He froze in place, eyes pulled immediately to her face, gauging her expression cautiously. She was curled up on his sofa, under a blanket, obviously waiting for him to return home. "Yeah. Wasn't bad. Small issue with the local police force, but I think I got it worked out."

"Good."

"What're you doing here, Jo?" His voice was tired, he could hear it, she could hear it, it wasn't the time for playing games.

"No one had seen you in a few days; thought I'd check to make sure you weren't unconscious or dead on your floor. It's been known to happen in Eureka, after all."

"So when you didn't find me dead, you just thought you'd settle in for a bit?"

She shifted her position on his sofa, letting the blanket that had been covering her slip as she held up the picture album she'd been holding, laying open across her chest.

"Ah, so it was settle in and go through my stuff? Real nice, Jo."

The second her expression darkened, Zane took a step backwards, but that didn't protect him from the ice in her voice as she raised her eyes to his, holding his stormy grey gaze firmly. "Oh, cut the shit, Zane, and sit down so we can talk." She paused. "Or would you rather go on being miserable, and we can go back to the way things used to be?"

He shut his mouth, slumping down into his chair, keeping the stubborn sullen look in his expression, but listening with complete attention.

She held up a photograph of him taken when he was three or four, sitting between his mom and aunt on his grandmother's knee. Her arms were around him, holding him securely, her fingers splayed out across his stomach as he laughed for the camera. Her voice was soft when she finally spoke once more.

"Cute kid."

He shrugged. "Some things never change."

Jo lifted her eyebrow and shook her head softly. "What do you see when you look at this picture?"

"I don't know. Crappy resolution. Think my uncle took it with a Polaroid."

"But what do you see?"

He shrugged again. "The past. Dead people. It doesn't matter."

She watched his discomfort with great interest, noting his inability to look at the picture for more than a few seconds. "I see three generations of a beautiful family. I see how much your grandmother loved you, your mom, your Aunt Char, and yes I know who she was."

Of course. He couldn't tell her the names of her brothers, but she could identify his dead aunt in a photo taken two decades past without difficulty.

"I see a little boy who didn't know how to be unhappy that someone was missing in his life, because in this picture, there was so much love."

He shrugged again. "What's this got to do with us, Lupo?"

Her fingers traced a small trail over the picture, over the very familiar ring on his grandmother's finger. "Is it really worth running away from me instead of facing the pain and dealing with us?"

His voice was cold. "You said we didn't exist, that there is no us. What difference does it make if I'm here or in prison? Really, Jo, do you hate me so much that you'd make me carry on with my life, seeing you every day? Tasting the future we could have had? Watching you with someone else when you've finally moved on?"

"Carter waited as long as he had to for Allison to figure out what she wanted."

His eyes rolled sarcastically as he struggled to bite back what he thought of Carter's absolute perfection. "I'm not Carter. I want what I want, Jo, and if I can't have it, I'm not one to hang around torturing myself over it. If we're quits, we're quits, none of this maybe someday, will they won't they bullshit. If you tell me we have a chance, I'll wait, if you tell me we're over, I'll go. Just, for God's sake, tell me what you want!"

Jo climbed to her feet calmly, handing him the photo album and offering him a sad smile. "Sometimes the only way to get an answer is to look at the past."

"We don't have a goddamned past! We have today and tomorrow, but I'm not a part of yesterday! Why do I have to be him for you to love me?" His voice trailed off into a broken sigh. "Why am I not good enough the way I am?"

"They're all good questions, Zane, but ask yourself one more. Why are you the only one asking them?"

He froze, trailing his ice blue gaze up to meet her own, silently absorbing her words, gauging her body language. Could she be right? Could he be the only one in this struggling to live up to someone who had only ever existed in her heart?

She nodded as realization sparked in his eyes and smiled softly. "No one ever asked you to be him, Zane, we were only asking you to be the good guy we knew existed in there. I loved him but he wasn't perfect, I don't know, maybe we've idealized him in our memories, to you, to ourselves, but we were far from a Disney romance. It really didn't matter, though. We were happy and in love in our own screwed up way." She shrugged, reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from his eyes. "Don't try to be someone you're not, it doesn't work for you or anyone around you."

It was with a soul breaking sigh, eyes burning with heart break and honesty, that he took her hand in his and held tightly to her. "I don't want to lose you."

She stroked his fingers lightly, kneeling down in front of him, releasing her final hold on all the anger, hurt and resentment that she'd been building. When there was only peace left in her heart, she lifted her eyes to his, letting him in to see her damaged soul. "Then stop running and fight."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling her forward onto his lap, cradling her in his arms as he enveloped her in his warmth.

"I know."

He chuckled softly, tightening his hold on her. "I know? You could be sorry, too, you know, for gutting me like you did."

She echoed his gentle laughter, poking at his shoulder. "I didn't start all this, did I?"

"Are you going to give us a chance?" His words were hesitant, belying the smooth grace of his fingers as they slipped under the hem of her shirt, caressing the warm flesh of her stomach.

"I'm considering it," she gasped, softly, shifting in his arms to give him better access to the warm lengths of her body.

He lowered his lips to her ear, nipping the lobe gently, pulling a quiet whimper from her lips. "You're not just using me for my body, are you, JoJo? A trip to my bed then out of my life, 'cause I'm not that kind of guy, you know."

"Zane!" She laughed, slapping his thigh as she struggled to gain some advantage.

"Anymore. I mean, if we do this…"

She quieted him with a kiss, cutting off his next words so that they wouldn't reach reality.

"Don't say forever, Zane, because forever doesn't exist in Eureka." She sighed a little sadly, a little resigned. "Just mean it. Please?"

And he was lost. Lost in brown eyes that had seen so much pain. Lost in beauty that had seen only sadness. Lost in endless warmth that had grown cool. Lost in Jo who had to learn the hard way that the path to happiness wasn't always paved for smooth travel.

"Then I take it back, I'm not sorry." His words were firm as he nodded, lifting her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Not for a single second am I sorry if it means that I'll wake up to you every tomorrow morning that we have."

They were just words, she told herself quietly, trying to stop her heart from soaring. "Careful, Donovan, that sounded dangerously close to a proposal."

He froze, just as she expected him to, but her heart still faltered and sadness still crept back in.

"Not tonight," his lips brushed over her ear gently, skimming the sensitive flesh with warm breath. "You have me at a disadvantage, still, Jo." He winked at her, taking the sting from his reaction. "You see, you're the only one here who knows how good the sex is." When her body relaxed and her jaw dropped in frustration, he laughed outright. "If there's only going to be one woman in my bed for the rest of my life, I need the whole picture first. It's only fair."

"You are…"

He grinned, kissing her quickly, chasing away her words. "Absolutely right, I know. Going to have to put our bodies to the test."

She growled softly, twisting in his arms until she could climb to her feet, glaring down at him. The twinkle in her eyes, however, belied her stern expression. "You take whatever test you want, I'm going to Café Diem. Your little stunt this afternoon ruined my dinner. I'm hungry!"

He chuckled, getting to his feet, blatantly eying her body, making no attempt to hide his own arousal. "I'm starved."

"You'll live."

"Aw, c'mon, Jo. It's never a good idea to take a test without practice."

"Oh, my god, how am I in love with you?" The words flew past her lips before she'd even realized what she said, her eyes shadowing as she waited for the typical Zane reaction of backing away from any strong emotion that wasn't his own. Instead, he laughed outright, spinning her into his arms, stopping a mere inch from her lips to cock his head to the side and grin.

"It's the shirts, isn't it?"

When her lips met his, heat erupted in both their bodies, tongues met instantly in battle, fingers found tight holds in hair and clothing as they struggled to come as close together as humanly possible. It took long moments for them to come apart, chests rising and falling heavily, hearts beating painfully as they locked eyes.

There was a moment of silence between them before Zane's grin turned wicked, and that deceivingly naughty twinkle returned to his blue eyes.

"Yeah. It's the shirts."

She cursed him with no venom behind her words, laughing as she turned away, gathering her things.

"Hey, am I invited to this dinner, or do I have to show up uninvited and make a scene?"

She sighed, shaking her head as she moved towards the door. "What the hell. We have to go public sometime."

His eyebrows lifted and that wicked grin darkened his features once more. "I'm not opposed to public."

"Zane!"

One day he'd need to meet her brothers; he had this sneaking suspicion that they were responsible for the string of colourful language that dripped past her lips.

He ducked as she went to smack him, grinning at her as he grabbed his coat and was out the door before she could react. Life was just about to get very interesting.

**~~~TBC~~~**

**In the Final Part:**

_Of course the group asked what had changed her mind; she'd come full about in attitude in a few short hours. Although it wasn't an unfamiliar trait of Jo's, considering her level of anger, they were surprised it had ended so quickly._

_She shrugged them off, waving her hand as they pressed then backed off, unwilling to rock the small boat they'd fought so valiantly to keep afloat. Jo's thoughts turned inwards, however, as the group laughed and chatted easily amongst themselves, welcoming Zane to their close knit family with warmth._

_If she hadn't gone to Zane's when she'd heard he was missing, none of this would have happened. If she hadn't peeked through his shelves, opening the photo album that had been so familiar in her past life, she'd not have stepped back long enough to forgive._

**Coming Soon!**


	13. Empty Pages

Title: My Soul To Keep

Epilogue: Empty Pages

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jo/Zane, ensemble.

Rating: T… with a strong "ish".

Spoilers: Everything up to I'll Be Seeing You

Summary: When a random experiment goes horribly awry, Jo is caught in the center. When fate altered her life the last time, a small piece of her had died. When her friends conspire to fix what had broken, can her heart handle it a second time around? Entirely AU after IBSY.

Disclaimer: Eureka obviously doesn't belong to me, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue; my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: O.M.G. It's done. My first epic tale in years has been spun to completion. For those of you that have stayed with me through 35,000 words, well, thank you. I am currently at a total loss as to what to write, I keep looking at my notebooks and wondering what words with which to fill their pages, and instead I end up wandering just a little lost. At the very least I figured I could keep my word and have this up on New Years Eve, just in time to see out 2011. Here's hoping tonight's epilogue leaves you with a smile, and again, thank you for staying with me through it all.

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

All eyes turned to the door when Jo and Zane stepped into Café Diem. This time, however, rather than stare them down, Zane grinned proudly at their shocked expressions and looped his arm around Jo's waist. When no bones were broken, and the girl leaned into the hard planes of his body rather than pulling away, most of their onlookers lost interest and went back to their dinners; the few whose eyes remained on the duo had smiles on their faces and goodwill in their hearts.

They made their way to the back of the café where their friends sat gathered around a table, sipping coffees and beers, Eureka's newest rocky relationship likely the main topic of conversation amongst the four gathered closely together. Allison's eyes lit up as Jo and Zane approached. Her elbow met Carter's ribs and his eyes rose to meet Jo's.

"Well, would you look at that," he grinned, his distinct voice carrying through the small café.

"Not a word," she warned quietly.

"I'm just saying…"

"Carter…"

"Nothing bad, really! Just glad it didn't take four years this time."

"Four years isn't a bad thing, Jack," Allison spoke quietly, her lips curved into a disapproving frown.

"Oh, yeah, unless you want something, and then it's all, who took four years to ask me out…" He paused, swallowing as he read Allison's darkening expression, swallowing thickly before clearing his throat uncomfortably. "And I'm shutting up now. Jo and Zane… go!"

Of course the group asked what had changed her mind; she'd come full about in attitude in a few short hours. Although it wasn't an unfamiliar trait of Jo's, considering her level of anger, they were surprised it had ended so quickly.

She shrugged them off, waving her hand as they pressed then backed off, unwilling to rock the small boat they'd fought so valiantly to keep afloat. Jo's thoughts turned inwards, however, as the group laughed and chatted easily amongst themselves, welcoming Zane to their close knit family with warmth.

If she hadn't gone to Zane's when she'd heard he was missing, none of this would have happened. If she hadn't peeked through his shelves, opening the photo album that had been so familiar in her past life, she'd not have stepped back long enough to forgive.

In her old life, that album had been filled with not only pictures of Zane's family, but of themselves as well. The empty pages in the back had spoken volumes to her, bringing tears to her eyes that she now understood.

Flipping back to the pictures that weren't missing, Jo slowly became aware of the little boy in each, growing as time passed, eyes darkening and saddening visibly as he grew older, person after person fading from those pictures until only he and his mother stood, together, but with distance between them, his smile non existent.

Nobody in his life had stuck around; not his father who'd abandoned him for greener pastures, not his grandmother who'd succumbed to death. He'd built a wall against people trying to get too close, not only friends but with his mother as well; no one was allowed close enough to hurt him, close enough to say goodbye, until she'd arrived on scene and had shaken his protected world.

When she thought back on her Zane, she realized all the same signs were there, she'd just never noticed. Except for the first days when he wanted her attention, Zane never fought a thing. She kissed Carter in front of him and he quietly accepted that there may be something there. She kissed Fargo in front of him and he walked away, unwilling to cause a scene, as if he expected her betrayal. She called it off between them and he stood passively back, not fighting until she'd pressed one too many buttons, forcing a reaction. When she told him she loved him, he'd frozen solid, like a little boy with his fingers in his ears, begging her to take it back. When he proposed and she'd hesitated, all the walls she'd unknowingly torn down brick by brick slammed back into place before she'd even had a chance to gather her thoughts.

But that was just Zane. If the timeline hadn't fallen apart, taking her life with it, she would have found him wherever he'd gone to hide, they would have argued until any objection she may have had, any reason she may have seen for hesitating would be lost in his kiss and they would have been properly engaged by sundown.

Everything that made up Zane, everything that defined the cocky, mischievous young man that she'd loved without question, still existed. Except this Zane hadn't been brought into the Eureka family in time to bring down those walls. His time here had just built his defences higher as he waited to be sent away. Under it all was just a terrified little boy that expected everything and everyone to give up on him and walk away.

There were going to be fights, Jo could practically feel them brewing between them, but she promised herself silently that there would be no more threats about walking away. He'd seen enough of that in his life. It was time they both grew up and faced a future together, even if it wasn't what either of them had expected when this all began.

It was with a great sense of relief that she buried the Zane she'd been hanging onto, at last able to let go when her fingers twined into those of the man that sat next to her, his blue eyes filled with wonder at the possibility of a future filled with love. Crazy as it seemed, the Zane before had wanted her, but the Zane now, he needed her. Maybe she needed this Zane just as much to open her eyes to what she had been missing.

There was a lot of pain that still needed to be addressed and dealt with, but for once she felt like she wasn't hanging onto the past. It was hard to build a future looking over your shoulder instead of down the road ahead.

**~~~E~~~**

Vincent watched from behind the counter as Zane's arm came easily around Jo's shoulders, pulling her tight against him. Jo's smile was easy, lighting up the dark of her eyes as she gazed at him in what could only be called wonder. He watched the entire interaction, their unsteady first steps, and the love of their large family as it enveloped them, holding them together, giving them strength.

Things hadn't been quite right in Eureka since Founder's Day. He'd noticed but chose not to say a word, a feat that could challenge miracles, but things had been changing for the better. There was more happiness, more love, greater tolerance, laughter and fun filling the town than ever before.

With Jo and Zane finally on track, the circle was complete. Vincent grinned and waved at his friends in the corner, descending on the party with fresh drinks and finger foods, unsurprised when he was greeted warmly.

Only one loose end was left untended, Vincent thought as he observed his friends with care, and although he thought he should give it time, the words tumbled from his mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

"Just to be perfectly clear, I am catering the wedding, right?"

It was Zane that reacted the quickest, winking at Vincent and putting space between himself and Jo as he grinned wickedly.

"I'll tell you in the morning."

He didn't duck quite fast enough.

_**~~~FIN~~~**_


End file.
